NEW DELHI: The Union Home Ministry on Saturday handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) the investigation into the killing of a chemist in Amravati in Maharashtra, a spokesperson said.
The government made the announcement on Saturday, after it emerged it might be linked to his social media posts supporting suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma.
The chemist, Umesh Prahladrao Kolhe, was killed on June 21.
A Home Ministry spokesperson tweeted that the probe of the case relating to the "barbaric killing" of Kolhe has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The federal probe agency would thoroughly investigate the conspiracy behind the killing and the involvement of organisations and international linkages.
Kolhe's killing had taken place a week before two men hacked to death a tailor in Rajasthan's Udaipur before posting videos online saying that they were avenging an insult to Islam.
Days before his killing, the Udaipur tailor had told the local police that he had received threats over a social media post shared from his account, apparently supporting BJP leader Sharma's remarks on Prophet Mohammad.
The NIA is also probing the killing of the Udaipur tailor, Kanhaiya Lal.
The Maharashtra Police have arrested five people in connection with the Amravati killing and are looking for one Irfan Khan, who runs an NGO and is alleged to be the prime accused in the case.
According to the police, Kolhe had allegedly shared a post on some WhatsApp groups in support of Nupur Sharma, following which Khan is alleged to have hatched a conspiracy to eliminate him.
Kolhe was killed between 10 pm and 10.30 pm on June 21 when he was returning home on a two-wheeler after closing his shop.
"Five persons have been arrested in connection with the murder of the chemist and a search is on to trace the prime accused Irfan Khan (32), who runs a NGO," Amravati commissioner of police Dr Aarti Singh said on Saturday.
"Kolhe ran a medical store in Amravati city. He had allegedly shared a post on some WhatsApp groups in support of Nupur Sharma for her comments. He even mistakenly shared the post in a WhatsApp group in which some Muslims were also members, including his customers," an official of the City Kotwali police station said.
After that, Irfan Khan hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Kolhe and roped in five persons for it.
He promised to give Rs 10,000 to them and a safe escape in a car, he said.
The incident occurred between 10 pm and 10.30 pm on June 21, when Kolhe was going home on a two-wheeler after closing his shop, he said, adding that his son Sanket (27) and wife Vaishnavi were accompanying him on a different vehicle.
"When all of them reached near Mahila College's gate, two motorcycle-borne men came from behind and blocked Kolhe's path. A youth alighted from the motorcycle and stabbed Kolhe on his neck with a sharp weapon and escaped from the spot. Kolhe collapsed on the road in a pool of blood. Sanket rushed him to a hospital, where he died," the official said.
Based on Saket's complaint, an FIR was registered and five persons, identified as Muddsir Ahemad (22), Shahrukh Pathan (25), Abdul Thoufique (24) Shoaib Khan (22) and Atib Rashid (22), all residents of Amravati and daily wage workers, have been arrested.
The police have seized the knife used in the crime and obtained the CCTV footages that captured the sequence of events.
Police commissioner Singh said the exact reason behind the murder is being ascertained.
The BJP had on June 5 suspended its national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled Delhi BJP media head Jindal after their alleged derogatory remarks against the Prophet led to an outrage in India and Gulf countries.