The assailants used a cell phone to videotape the terrible murder they committed. After that, they made a video of themselves bragging about the crime and making threats against the prime minister.
The video, which showed two Muslims murdering a Hindu man on Tuesday in the state of Rajasthan because they believed the victim had insulted the Prophet Muhammad, soon went viral across India. Because the authorities were afraid that the case may spark wider-scale unrest, they blocked access to the internet across the state. According to the authorities, the males were taken into custody on suspicion of terrorism.
Nupur Sharma, a spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, made some statements at the beginning of the chain of events that led up to the assassination. Ms. Sharma, during an appearance on television one month ago, made derogatory comments regarding the connection between the prophet and his youngest wife. These comments, which were denounced by the Muslim world as profaning the prophet, were the subject of widespread backlash.
Ms. Sharma was suspended by the B.J.P. when she backtracked on her previous statements. Another party official, Naveen Kumar Jindal, was kicked out of the party for expressing support for Ms. Sharma’s statements. Ms. Sharma was the one who made the comments. The political party made a statement in which it said that it respected all religious traditions and condemned any insults directed at religious leaders in an effort to prevent a diplomatic rift from developing with nations that practise Islam.
However, the tensions did not abate and added to an already existing background of growing sectarian violence in India. Protesters gathered in public spaces around the nation as well as in other regions of South Asia. Two Muslim men were slain on June 10 at a rally in the Indian state of Jharkhand that was asking for Ms. Sharma’s arrest. The demonstration took place in eastern India.
The individual who was slain earlier this week was the subject of a complaint that was lodged the same day in Rajasthan, according to the local police. An employee with the police department named Hawa Singh Ghumaria said that a WhatsApp status that a tailor named Kanhaiya Lal Teli had put in favour of Ms. Sharma had caused insult to certain Muslims. He was taken into custody but was able to post bail.
Tailor Mr. Teli went back to the police station to submit a complaint of his own, stating that the individuals who had previously taken issue with his actions were now sending him death threats. According to the official of the police department, Mr. Ghumaria, the issues that Mr. Teli and the Muslim community had brought up were handled by the police, and they were resolved to the satisfaction of both parties. According to him, the police did not take any further action in response to Mr. Teli’s allegation.
According to statements made by Mr. Teli’s wife, Jashoda, to the media in India, he decided to stay home from work due to the threats. On Tuesday, he went back to his old job. When this occurred, two Muslim males went to his business and pretended to be customers while they were there. Immediately after the taking of their measures, they assaulted Mr. Teli. The sound of him wailing for his life can be heard.
The National Investigative Agency, which is India’s top counterterrorism body, has been tasked by the Indian government with conducting an investigation into the event, which on Wednesday sparked demonstrations in the state of Rajasthan. Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan and a member of the competing Congress party, has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the nation’s populace on the rising communal tensions.
