ISLAMABAD: A spokesperson for Pakistan’s foreign ministry on Wednesday rejected reports appearing in some Indian media that linked two Muslims who brutally killed a Hindu tailor in the city of Udaipur to a Pakistan-based organization.
Two Muslims posted a video this week of the killing and said they were avenging an insult to Prophet Muhammad caused by the victim. They also alluded to Nupur Sharma, a former spokeswoman for India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), whose remarks about the Prophet earlier this month triggered domestic and international outrage.
India’s Home Minister Amit Shah said in a tweet federal police had taken over the investigation into “the brutal murder” of Kanhaiya Lal Teli, giving the victim’s full name.
“The involvement of any organization and international links will be thoroughly investigated,” Shah said
“We have seen reports in a segment of the Indian media referring to investigations into the murder case in Udaipur, mischievously seeking to link the accused individuals, Indian nationals, to an organization in Pakistan,” the foreign office said.
“We categorically reject any such insinuations,” the statement said, calling it an attempt to malign Pakistan and externalize India’s “internal issues through pointing of fingers toward Pakistan.”
“Such malicious attempts will not succeed in misleading the people, either in India or abroad,” the FO said.
Meanwhile, fearing outbreaks of religious violence, police in the Indian state of Rajasthan banned public gatherings and suspended Internet services, saying they were investigating the two suspects.
“We are under strict orders to prevent any form of protests or demonstrations scheduled to condemn the murder,” Hawa Singh Ghumaria, a senior police officer in Rajasthan, told Reuters, adding that the crime had sent “shockwaves through the country.”
The two assailants had slashed Teli’s head and throat in an attack while the tailor was taking measurements, according to Bhawarlal Thoda, a city administrator in Udaipur.
According to Thoda, the tailor had been detained over a social media post in support of the BJP spokeswoman that was traced to his mobile telephone, and that after being released Teli had told police on June 15 that he was being threatened by some group.