Maha: Medical Equipment seller beheaded for allegedly supporting Nupur Sharma's post

Amravati: A businessman involved in trading medical equipment has been allegedly beheaded in Maharashtra's Amravati by three people which is alleged to be related to the suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma's post containing disparaging comments about the Prophet Muhammed as the businessman was reported to have shared a post in support of Nupur Sharma. 

The deceased person identified as Umesh Kolhe was coming back from his medical shop on the night of June 21 when he was attacked with a sharp weapon and was killed. He was riding a scooter and was attacked by three people on a bike. The spouse and son, Sanket of Umesh were also coming from behind, and the attack took place in their presence. 

Also Read:Man tries to hire doctor for killing pregnant wife, booked

He was immediately taken to a hospital where the doctors declared him dead, reports the News 18. It was earlier suspected that the motive behind the killing was a robbery. However, the primary investigation revealed that he was carrying around Rs 35,000 in his bag during the time of the attack, but the attackers did not touch the bag. 

The motive is yet unknown, as the attackers left the place after killing him. The police have set up four special teams to probe the incident. The police arrested Mudassir Ahamad and Shahrukh Pathan on June 23 in connection with the murder. Later, the police arrested Abdul Taufiq Sheikh and Shoeb Khan and later apprehended Ateeq Rashid after questioning them. 

However, the police have neither revealed the details of the interrogation nor the details of the investigation. Sources reported that some others may be involved in the killing as well, with the mastermind of the killing still absconding. 

Earlier, a similar incident was reported from Udaipur of Rajasthan in which a tailor identified as Kanhaiya Lal was beheaded and the brutal killing was filmed by two Muslim men, Mohammed Riyaz Attari and Ghouse Mohammed, his assailants. Lal had also shared a post supporting Nupur Sharma's disparaging comments about the prophet Muhammed, following which he was arrested by the Rajasthan police and was on bail. The two incidents are reported to be connected as both of them were killed in a similar manner by the attackers, and both had allegedly made posts supporting Nupur Sharma.

Around a month back, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma had made derogatory remarks against the prophet during a primetime debate on the media channel, Times Now. Her comments were immediately backed by another BJP leader, Naveen Kumar Jindal, who tweeted in her support and made similar remarks. The remarks subsequently set off protests by thousands of Muslims across the country. Various Muslim-majority countries had summoned Indian envoys and demanded an apology after the incident. 

BJP spokesperson Shivaray Kulkarni met with Dr Arati Singh, the Police commissioner of Amaravati, and claimed that the issue is suspicious. He alleged that Kolhe had shared some posts with connections to Nupur Sharma in some groups. He alleged that the investigation must pay attention to these facts. However, not much information is available to the public about the murder. 

Meanwhile, the police have recently issued an advisory stating that it cannot be ruled out that due to sharing of some controversial posts, videos, and comments on Social Media by some unsocial elements might have poisoned the air. They requested people not to share objectionable posts that have the potential to spread religious animosity, adding that they would take strict action against the culprits otherwise, reports the News 18.

Also Read:Ayurvedic doctor murder case: Priyanka Gandhi slams UP govt, says security system in poor shape