The gruesome and barbaric killing of former Hindu Mahasabha leader, Kamlesh Tiwari, has shocked the nation. According to a TOI report, the 45-year old was brutally murdered inside his house in the Khurshidbagh area of Naka Hindola of the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow. The incident took place when the police constables deployed for his security were not on duty, while another constable was asleep.
Swift action by police authorities has led to the identification of several accused out of which the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested Shammi Pathan, Faizan Pathan and Maulavi Mohsin Sheikh from Surat, who have been found to be the key conspirators of the murder. The three accused have confessed to the killing. Meanwhile, the murderers who carried out the deed, identified as Farid-ud-din Shaikh and Ashfak Shaikh, are still at large. Five others including Maulana Anwarul Haq who called for Tiwari’s head, have been arrested by UP police.
https://twitter.com/rajshekharTOI/status/1185427248729346048
Kamlesh Tiwari had for long been on the receiving end of unparalleled levels of hate, and a section of society and clerics had also offered a bounty over his head. Kamlesh Tiwari has been in the news after his comments on Prophet Muhammad in 2015, in which he remarked that the prophet was the first homosexual. This was in response to the rant of Samajwadi leader Azam Khan, who had taken a similar jibe at the RSS and its karyakartas.
Kamlesh Tiwari was booked at the time under the National Security Act by the Akhilesh Yadav government, however, his enemies had been calling for his head. Right before the Ayodhya Ram Janmbhoomi verdict, Kamlesh Tiwari was murdered in cold blood for merely exercising his right to free speech and thought. Soon after his murder, pictures of Tiwari went viral on social media, where it was clearly evident that his throat was mercilessly slit to the point that Hindu leader was nearly beheaded before being shot dead.
Kamlesh Tiwari’s comment back in 2015 had irked lakhs of Muslims across the country. So much so, that a protest march was organised by the Muslims of Muzzafarnagar to make their discomfort known to all. The protest march had over one lakh Muslims taking part in it.
“Kamlesh Tiwari has offended Muslims across India and he needs to be punished. We cannot hear any such words against our prophet. The sentiments of Muslims should be respected…”, Haji Ehsaan, a leader of the Ittehad-e-Millat, a Muzzafarnagar based Islamic organization, told TOI. Samajwadi Party leader Javed Ansari went a step further and demanded the death penalty for Kamlesh Tiwari, as though India was some Islamist Arabic nation following Sharia law.
#KamleshTiwari is murdered by peaceful
Bijnor's Imam way back announced 51 lakh reward to behead Kamlesh Tiwari and said that Muslims will punish him,wherever he is?
Whether this Imam is arrested or not so far? if not,why he roaming free ?
https://t.co/WaY2Z2F7y8— Prabhakar Singh Parihar (Modi Ka Parivar) (@IPrabhakarSP) October 18, 2019
Unconfirmed reports have suggested that the Al Hind Brigade, a subsidiary of the ISIS in India has claimed responsibility for the murder on a Telegram channel. A threat to Tiwari’s life was always on the books, yet, his enemies have successfully executed their plan, it would mean that no Indian is immune to the threat of ISIS any longer, and that they can inflict their butchery on just anyone across the country. The very fact that Kamlesh Tiwari was left unguarded by the police personnel on duty, and also that one of the personnel was sleeping while on duty should ring alarm bells among Indians about the immunity which the police and administrations offers against such terror threats to individuals.
शिवपाल सिंह यादव को मिला बंगला व zश्रेणी की सुरक्षा ,इनको किस आतंकवादी समूह से खतरा हैं योगी सरकार बताये ,हम एक साल से सुरक्षा को श्रेणी वध्द करने की मांग कर रहे है। कोई सुनवाई नहीं @myogiadityanath @PMOIndia @PMOIndia
— Kamlesh Tiwari🚩 HSP (@kamleshtiwari03) October 13, 2018
The domestic help of Kamlesh Tiwari has now come out with his version about the sequence of events. According to police, and also the domestic help, it seems that Tiwari personally knew the assailants and that they were also offered tea and snacks. The conversation largely revolved around the marriage of a Muslim girl with a Hindu Boy. Tiwari had asked his help to fetch some masala for the guests, and after he returned with it, he saw Tiwari dead in a pool of blood and the two assailants missing. Notably, the help has claimed that the assailants wore saffron clothes.
Gujarat ATS arrests 3 people in connection with Hindu leader #KamleshTiwari killing. Arrests made in #Surat. 2 shooters identified. Suspected shooters seen on CCTv cameras, said to be on the run. Three arrested include a Maulana. Shamim Pathan, Faizan Pathan and Mohsin Sheikh.
— GAURAV C SAWANT (@gauravcsawant) October 19, 2019
While Police hasn’t yet revealed who is responsible for murder of #KamleshTiwari, on telegram a newly formed self-styled group few hours ago calling itself ‘Al-Hind Brigade’ claims responsibility for the murder. Even though the #ISIS link isn’t yet clear, these could be fanboys. pic.twitter.com/82KdaLK8ep
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) October 18, 2019
The message from the murder is clear, and that is, a section of people could not care any less for freedom of speech, or the course of the law. Kamlesh Tiwari had a target on his back ever since he irked the radical section of the Muslim community. A precedent similar to the Charlie Hebdo shooting has been set, and for that India needs to be worried.
As usual, the cheerleaders of ‘free speech’ have thus far maintained an astute silence on the murder of Kamlesh Tiwari. Ever ready to outrage if the victim is a non-Hindu, the hypocrisy of this cabal stood exposed once again as they turned a blind eye to the assassination.
The media too largely ignored the killing with many media outlets giving no prime time coverage to the case while others did not shy away from referring to Kamlesh Tiwari as a ‘fringe Hindu leader’ as if his murder is a lesser crime.
