FROM TOI PRINT EDITION
Act of terrorism: Horrific Udaipur incident must lead to thorough investigation to see if there’s a bigger pattern
Following the gruesome murder of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur – which was plainly an act of terrorism – the course of investigation suggests that governments think this was not an isolated local incident. GoI yesterday directed the National Investigation Agency to take over the probe, with the search for international links being a key dimension. Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot echoed the view. He said the murder was meant to spread terror and the information available indicated the two perpetrators have contacts overseas.
It bears mention that the two terrorists, Mohmmad Riyaz Akhtari and Gaus Mohammad, who have freely admitted to murdering Lal, apparently belong to groups that believe that the “punishment” for “blasphemy” must be death. Indeed, the most chilling aspect of what Riyaz and Gaus did was the videography, reminiscent of ISIS-style brutality. Clearly, what happened in Udaipur requires a multi-level and multi-agency response.
A thorough investigation by NIA into Lal’s murder, with the state government cooperating, and quick, definitive results are the best first responses to the act of terrorism. Interminable delays do great harm to the cause of fighting terror, especially when social situations are volatile. The other crucial job for investigators is to figure out whether Riyaz and Gaus are part of a deadly pattern that will emerge over time. If that’s the case, it’s imperative that agencies are proactive in their response.
There’s also the question of the quality of local policing. The victim, Lal, had communicated a threat to his life in a formal complaint. For sure, the state has suspended an assistant sub inspector in Udaipur for negligence. But this horrifying incident shows the cost of states’ reluctance to implement even most basic police reforms. In state after state, and in incident after incident, local police forces have been found wanting even when clear indications of threats have been available. And finally, all political parties must keep an eye on groups and individuals who can say or do things that aggravate an already volatile situation.
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Murder in Udaipur
Religious, political leadership must work for peace
The gruesome killing of an Udaipur man, Kanhaiya Lal Teli, by Islamist extremists for allegedly supporting blasphemy against their faith deserves the most unequivocal, strongest possible condemnation. Teli, a tailor by profession, was brutally killed in his shop by two men posing as customers on Tuesday evening. He was murdered less than three weeks after he had been arrested over the allegation that he had supported and propagated former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s comments on Islam and the Prophet. The killers — who also issued death threats to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nupur — have been arrested and the Central Government has handed over the probe into the case to the National Investigation Agency.
The murder and its aftermath, with curfew being imposed in Udaipur after protests and arson, must be met with a responsible, restrained response from the political and religious leadership. Since the controversy over Nupur’s comments began a month ago, several states have witnessed protests and violence, resulting in a number of fatalities and damage to public and private property. It is incumbent on religious leaders to emphatically denounce violence in the name of religion and God; and, for the sake of peace and harmony, political leaders must desist from making provocative, divisive statements and prodding their followers towards violence. The investigation into Teli’s murder must be completed at the earliest and the killers — as also those who hatched the conspiracy and indoctrinated the two — must be brought to book.
India is an amazingly diverse country with different beliefs, customs and practices, which people cherish; however, it’s time the people realised a fundamental, universal truth: human beings have rights, feelings and ideas do not. Modern, tolerant democracies are founded on the principle that even the most loathsome ideas can be expressed as long as they are focused on ideologies or belief systems rather than individuals. The sanctity of human life is paramount; sentiments can never be accorded more importance than it. This is a priceless lesson, and the earlier the people of India learn it, the better it would be for the peace and progress of its citizens.
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The two men who killed Kanhaiya Lal must face the full force of the law, they must not get the power to spread their poison
While the crime has played out in public view, the grisly videos don't tell all, important questions remain
Updated: June 30, 2022
The killing of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur, captured and flaunted by his killers on video, is a gruesome crime. It has deservedly drawn the strongest condemnation across political and ideological lines in the country. The starkness of the horror permits no ambiguity in the aftermath — the perpetrators of murder as ghastly spectacle must be brought to justice quickly and firmly. In the days ahead, political parties and governments also need to step up to the challenge to keep the calm. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has called for Prime Minister Modi to address the nation and appeal for peace. It is essential that this does not become a bid by the Gehlot government to abdicate its own responsibility, or to pass the buck. It is its primary task to ensure that a firm message is sent out that any attempt to stoke or inflame communal anxieties and tensions will not be brooked in the state, in Udaipur or elsewhere.
Even as there is no room for the politics of one-upmanship, there is hard political work to be done by all parties and players. While the crime has played out in public view, the grisly videos don’t tell all, important questions remain. The National Investigation Agency, tasked with investigating terror-related crimes, has been called in, and a thorough probe will be needed to arrive at the answers.
Meanwhile, it will be the work of politics to ensure that important distinctions are not blurred and crucial perspective is not lost in a climate in which prime-time TV seems to increasingly take its cue from the fringe and hardliners, and too many of those with a social media account unresistingly give in to the temptation of delivering instant justice on complex issues by playing judge, jury and executioner. The industry of hurt sentiments is quite capable of manufacturing hate and violence, too. It is necessary, in this moment, to remember and to remind that one of Indian democracy’s biggest success stories has been that it is home to a Muslim minority which has not been drawn into the Islamic radicalisation story that has been unfolding in troubling ways elsewhere in the world.
As the law follows its course, therefore, politics has to step up to ensure responsibility and restraint after the crime in Udaipur. The two men who walked into the tailor’s shop and killed Kanhaiya Lal in cold blood must face the consequences — they must not be given the power to spread their poison.
