Police in Rajasthan also banned public gatherings, fearing violence after two Muslims posted a video claiming responsibility for murder of man in Udaipur
\n Udaipur
\nFearing outbreaks of religious violence, police in the Indian state of Rajasthan banned public gatherings and suspended internet services a day after two Muslims posted a video claiming responsibility for killing a Hindu tailor in the city of Udaipur.
\nTwo suspects were being interrogated by federal investigators on Wednesday, while state police were on guard against any unrest in the north-western state.
\n\u201cWe are under strict orders to prevent any form of protests or demonstrations scheduled to condemn the murder,\u201d Hawa Singh Ghumaria, a senior police officer in Rajasthan, told Reuters, adding that the crime had sent \u201cshock waves through the country\u2019\u2019.
\nBrandishing a meat cleaver, two bearded men said in the video that they were avenging an insult to the prophet Mohammed caused by the victim.
\nThey also alluded to Nupur Sharma, a former spokesperson for the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), whose remarks about the prophet earlier this month triggered domestic and international outrage.
\nIndia\u2019s home minister, Amit Shah, said in a tweet that federal police had taken over the investigation into \u201cthe brutal murder\u201d of Kanhaiya Lal Teli, giving the victim\u2019s full name.
\n\u201cThe involvement of any organisation and international links will be thoroughly investigated,\u201d Shah said.
\nLate on Wednesday, a spokesperson from Pakistan\u2019s foreign ministry rejected reports in some Indian media that linked the suspects to a Pakistan-based organisation.
\nThe two assailants had slashed Teli\u2019s head and throat in an attack while the tailor was taking measurements, according to Bhawarlal Thoda, a city administrator in Udaipur.
\nAccording to Thoda, the tailor had been detained over a social media post in support of the BJP spokesperson that was traced to his mobile telephone, and that after being released Teli had told police on 15 June that he was being threatened by some group.
\n\u201cTerrorists executed my father in the most shocking way, the country must stand with our family to demand justice,\u201d the victim\u2019s son, Yash, told Reuters after his father\u2019s body was cremated on Wednesday.
\nHe said the culprits should be tried and sentenced to death, and denied that his father has made any remarks that would be offensive to other religions.
\nPoliticians and prominent Islamic preachers condemned the killing.
\n\u201cThe incident has shocked followers of Islam, the heinous act committed by two men is absolutely un-Islamic,\u201d said Maulana Ahmed Siddiqui, a Muslim cleric based in Udaipur.
\nAuthorities said they had suspended internet services in several parts of Rajasthan to prevent circulation of the video.
\n\u201cThe mood is tense and almost all shops are closed today,\u201d Thoda said. The city of about half a million people is one of the major tourist draws in the desert state, and is known for its luxurious hotels, including the well-known Taj Lake Palace.
\nIn another video clip posted online, one of the assailants also went on to threaten the prime minister, Narendra Modi, saying their blade would find him too.
\nThe federal government late on Wednesday asked social media platforms to immediately remove content that encourages, glorifies or justifies the killing.
\nThe Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said in a notice that the removal was necessary \u201cto prevent any incitement and disruption of public order and to restore public peace and harmony\u201d.
\nHardline Hindu organisations held protests in the capital, New Delhi, to condemn the killing of Teli and more protests were planned on Thursday.
\nIndia has a long history of religious violence, and thousands of people have been killed since the country became independent from British colonial rule in 1947.
\nModi\u2019s pursuit of a \u201cHindu first\u201d agenda since coming to power in 2014 has stoked tensions in a country where Muslims make up about 13% of its 1.4 billion people.
\nEarlier this month the BJP suspended Sharma from the party and expelled another official but the furore has not died down.
\nModi has not commented on the incident in Udaipur. But former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, who belongs to the BJP, blamed the Congress Party, now running the state, for the \u201ccommunal frenzy and violence\u201d that has arisen there.
\nRaje said \u201csuch acts can occur because the state government provides tacit support to criminals.\u201c
\nWhile Congress has championed secular values in India since independence, the BJP has cast it as a pro-Muslim party in order to draw Hindus away from its main opposition.
\nRajasthan, with a population of about 69 million people, is just one of two Indian states where Congress holds a majority in the state legislature and it is due to hold elections next year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Police in Rajasthan also banned public gatherings, fearing violence after two Muslims posted a video claiming responsibility for murder of man in Udaipur Udaipur Fearing outbreaks of religious violence, police in the Indian state of Rajasthan banned public gatherings and suspended internet services a day after two Muslims posted a video claiming responsibility for killing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":269183,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[9231,1332,3516],"class_list":{"0":"post-269151","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-hindu-tailor","9":"tag-indian-state","10":"tag-killing"},"yoast_head":"\n