Rajasthan Muslim labour murder: Ten arrested in Udaipur for communal sloganeering
Hindu groups, defying prohibitory orders, took out a silent procession, demanding the release of their workers who were arrested following clashes with police
Ten people were arrested and 13 detained on Friday for allegedly raising slogans at a rally in Rajasthan’s Udaipur and posting provocative messages on social media platforms, police said.
Hindu groups, defying prohibitory orders, took out a silent procession, demanding the release of their workers who were arrested following clashes with police.
Prohibitory orders remain in force for the third consecutive day and internet services continue to be suspended in Udaipur and Rajsamand districts.
The two districts have been bristling with tension after last week’s killing of a Muslim migrant worker, Afrazul Islam, by Shambhulal Regar, who is in jail.
Deputy superintendent of police Bhagwat Singh Hingad said 10 people were arrested on the basis of a video circulating on social media that shows a group taking out a rally in Udaipur after the Rajsamand killing, raising communal slogans against right-wing Hindu groups and demanding death for Regar.
Inspector general of police (Udaipur range) Anand Shrivastava said the video has been sent to a forensic laboratory to find out if it is authentic or not.
Right-wing Hindu groups, including the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad have been pressing for the arrest of those who shouted communal slogans.
The Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Hindu organizations took out a silent march in presence of strong police deployment till the district collectorate, demanding release of their activists involved in stone pelting against police on Thursday in which 11 police officials and 31 police personnel were injured.
Police on Thursday arrested 207 people, out of which 132 arrested for disturbing peace, were later released on bail. The remaining 75 were produced in a court on Friday.
The Rajsamand police have also frozen a bank account in the name of Regar’s wife after the number was shared online, asking people to contribute money for the family.
Police are probing if there are any links between those who posted the account online and the accused Regar, said Shrivastava.
“We are investigating if any of these people are involved in helping Regar in any way in planning or executing the murder,” he said.