Police in Rajasthan arrested two men after they claimed responsibility for killing the man on camera over his alleged support for a suspended ruling BJP official whose insulting remarks about Prophet Muhammad sparked global protests.
A tailor was killed in his shop in a northwestern Indian town, and two machete-wielding men claimed responsibility in a video, raising tensions in the area.
On Tuesday, police said they had arrested the men involved in the incident in the tourist town of Udaipur in Rajasthan state, suspended internet service, and urged people not to share the video that had gone viral on social media. A curfew has been imposed in some areas of the Udaipur district.
According to experts, the Udaipur incident could have national consequences in the Hindu-majority country.
“What has happened today in Udaipur may trigger serious communal riots,” said Shesh Paul Vaid, a former senior police official in a different state.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Twitter said: “Both the accused of the murder of the youth in Udaipur have been arrested.”
“By ensuring speedy investigation, the criminals will be punished severely in court. I again appeal to all to maintain peace,” Gehlot added.
In the video, the two bearded men confessed to killing the tailor and threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a similar fate.
According to local media, the man, Kanhaiyalal Teli, backed Nupur Sharma, a suspended spokesperson for Modi’s Hindu right-wing party whose insulting remarks about Prophet Muhammad last month prompted a diplomatic backlash from many Muslim countries.
The assailants pretended to be customers before attacking him with large knives.
Sharma has not been seen in public since her remarks sparked outrage and engulfed India in a diplomatic storm, with nearly 20 governments summoning Indian envoys for an explanation.
