JAIPUR/LUCKNOW/BHOPAL: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot called an all-party meeting in Jaipur to discuss the law and order situation after a tailor, Kanhaiyalal, was killed in Udaipur for supporting former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
Tension prevailed in Udaipur but no major incident took place. Mobile internet services remained suspended on Wednesday and Section 144 was imposed in the state. The suspension of internet has been extended for a day in seven districts of Jaipur division.
Kanhaiyalal was cremated amid tight security in Udaipur on Wednesday. A huge crowd gathered for his last journey despite the curfew. Earlier, when his body was taken home after the post-mortem, his wife Jashoda Sahu said Kanhaiyalal was worried for many days but did not tell her anything,
The killing has evoked widespread condemnation. Terming it an “act of terror,” AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi has demanded the Congress government to initiate strictest action against the accused. “Violence cannot be justified as means of dissent and protest, we condemn violence,” Owaisi said in Bhopal on Wednesday, while demanding Nupur Sharma’s arrest.
Meanwhile, in Bheem town of Rajasmand where both culprits were caught, Hindutva bodies held a protest that turned violent. A constable was injured when an agitator attacked him with a sword. Fears of social tension have gripped other parts of the country too. Uttar Pradesh was put on high alert, with the DGP directing the district police chiefs to increase foot patrolling. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board and clerics, including Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali of India Islamic Centre, and Maulana Tauquir Raza of Ittehad-e- Millat Council, have condemned the killing.
BJP, Cong spar over Udaipur killing
The killing of Kanhaiyalal has sparked hurling of accusations between political parties. BJP spokesperson Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore slammed CM Ashok Gehlot, saying the recent killing was not an isolated incident but a marked continuation of a series of crimes linked to religious bigotry. Congress’ Pawan Khera hit back saying the Gehlot government is aware of its ‘raj dharma’.