2 in Pakistan among 11 named by NIA for killing Udaipur tailor: Bid to create terror

“Today, we have filed a chargesheet against 11 persons, identified as Salman and Abu Ibrahim, who are both in Karachi, and others who are residents of Udaipur — Mohammad Riyaz Attari, Mohammad Ghouse, Mohsin Khan, Asif Hussain, Mohammad Mohsin,  Vasim Ali, Farhad Mohammad Sheikh, Mohammed Javed, Muslim Khan — before the NIA Special Court in Jaipur in a case related to the killing of Kanhaiya Lal by two assailants on June 28 this year. The assailants circulated the video of the murder on social media to create panic and terror among the masses across the country,” said a spokesperson of NIA.

“Investigations have revealed that the accused persons, operating as a terror gang module, conspired to take revenge. The accused were radicalised and took inspiration from incriminating audios/ videos/ messages being circulated from within and outside India. The accused arranged deadly knives/ arms and murdered Kanhaiya in reaction to his Facebook post and attacked a co-worker in his shop in broad daylight. They made a video of the killing, released it and made it viral. They also shot another threatening video with the intention of striking terror among the people of India,” said the spokesperson.

Kanhaiya Lal’s wife Yashoda. (PTI/File)

The killing had triggered arson and protests in Udaipur, prompting the Ministry of Home Affairs to send a team of the NIA to the city to “explore” if there was a “terror angle”. The case was initially registered at the local police station in Udaipur district of Rajasthan, and was later re-registered by the NIA.

The Indian Express had reported on July 1 that NIA investigations had found the killing was “meticulously planned” and “instigated” by a person in Pakistan identified as “Salman bhai” who told one of the accused, Mohammad Ghouse, that he “must do something spectacular” in response to the remarks on the Prophet since “peaceful protests will not yield any result”.

Sources had said Ghouse had gone to Pakistan in December 2014 to attend a 45-day programme on the invitation of Dawat-e-Islami, a “Pakistan-based radical Islamic organisation”. They said that after returning in January 2015, he joined a few WhatsApp groups and was in touch with “Salman bhai” and another person, identified as Abu Ibrahim, in Pakistan.