The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said in its chargesheet that Umesh Kolhe, a pharmacist from Amravati in Maharashtra who had shared social media posts backing BJP leader Nupur Sharma, was murdered by “radicalised Islamists of Tablighi Jamaat” to avenge the alleged insult to Prophet Muhammad.
The NIA called it an “act of terror” by a “gang of radicalised men”, adding that the accused wanted to make out an example of the murder which they committed on the grounds that Kolhe allegedly hurt religious sentiments.
Umesh Kolhe was killed on June 21 after he shared a social media post supporting suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma over her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad, which had sparked massive outrage and even invited backlash from Muslim countries.
The murder disturbed “public tranquillity and national integrity” and also the safety of the common public not only in Amravati, but also in the entire nation, the anti-terror agency said in its chargesheet filed on Friday against 11 accused in a court in Mumbai.
Umesh Kolhe’s brother on Tuesday said they are “satisfied with the way NIA has investigated the case”, adding that now the court should also decide on “strict punishment for people with such mindset”.
All of the 11 accused have been arrested. They were booked under Indian Penal Code sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 341 (wrongful restraint), 153 A (promoting enmity), 201 (disappearance of evidence), 506 (criminal intimidation) as well as provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The NIA in its chargesheet stated, “The investigation has revealed that radicalised Islamists of the Tablighi Jamaat committed the murder of Umesh Kolhe on the grounds of allegedly hurting religious sentiments, promoting enmity, ill-will and hatred among different castes and religions, especially between Hindus and Muslims in India, which is prejudicial to the maintenance of social harmony,”.
The probe revealed the accused hatched a criminal conspiracy to kill Kolhe who had no property dispute or no history of fighting with the accused persons, NIA said, adding that the accused had formed a terrorist gang, being highly religiously radicalised to avenge Kolhe who posted a WhatsApp Post in support of BJP leader Sharma, it said.
The terrorist gang was highly influenced by the ideology of brutality ‘Gustakh e Nabi Ki Ek hi Saja, sar tan se juda’, the agency said. The islamic slogan, ‘Gustakh-E-Rasool ki ek hi saza, sar tan se juda, sar tan se juda’, roughly translates to ‘There is only one punishment for speaking against the Prophet and that is beheading’.
Kolhe a ‘Law-abiding Citizen’
The NIA described Kolhe as a “law-abiding citizen” without any adverse history of any dispute with any other person in general and the accused in particular.
“He exercised his right to free speech in a free country and declared his support to the alleged controversial remarks of Sharma. His execution is not a simple act of murder carried out intending to merely punish him for an alleged blasphemy so committed.
“It is an act of terror, by a gang of radicalised men who wanted to make an example out of the victim’s murder. It was done in a manner that shall send shivers down the spine of the general population of this peace-loving democratic country, who would never dare to speak up, for what they think is right or wrong,” NIA said.
Highlighting the brutality of murdering a father in front of his son in a public space, the NIA said the act was carried out “with a proper planning”, adding that “celebration after doing the act with an intention to strike terror in a large section of society is a terrorist action, to say the least”.
The murder had caused riots in different places, terrorised people into leaving their jobs, and made many go into hiding and many to fear for their lives and security. Such terrorist action has put to question India’s integrity and its perseverance, NIA said.
According to the NIA, Kolhe’s murder had taken place a week before the beheading of Kanhaiya Lal, the Udaipur-based tailor who was killed in his shop by two men on June 28 over the same issue of supporting BJP leader Nupur Sharma.
The two men who had killed Kanhaiya Lal had later made a video and even released it online. After the murder, several communal clashes broke out in various states, leading to the registration of multiple FIRs.
In all the FIRs, the same ideology of some religiously radicalised persons was flourishing with the same ‘Gustakh e Nabi…..slogan which struck terror in the minds of people who stood for free speech and in support of Sharma, the NIA said.
(With PTI inputs)
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