NIA chief meets Shah over Udaipur, Amravati killings

The central agency has already invoked laws that deal with terrorist activities against those who have been arrested for the murders.

Federal investigators have a free hand in dealing with elements bent on fomenting sectarian violence in the country, Union home minister Amit Shah is said to have told National Investigation Agency chief Dinkar Gupta during a meeting in which Shah was briefed on the findings about recent killings in Udaipur and Amravati, people familiar with the matter said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah (PTI)

The central agency has already invoked laws that deal with terrorist activities against those who have been arrested for the murders. Investigators are probing a larger conspiracy, with possible involvement of people based abroad.

Gupta joined as the new director general of the central agency last week, and has since been supervising the investigations in both the cases.

The main accused in the murder of an Udaipur tailor – Riyaz Attari and Gaus Mohammad – are being interrogated about online groups propagating radicalisation that they were part of, and about their association with Karachi-based religious organisation Dawat-e-Islami.

“We are trying to find out if there are more sympathisers of Dawat-e-Islami, or other Islamic radical outfits active in Udaipur and nearby areas, who were in touch with Riyaz and Gaus, and if these two managed to indoctrinate others,” an officer said, asking not to be named.

The duo hacked to death tailor Kanhaiya Lal on June 28 in Udaipur, after which they shared a video claiming responsibility for the attack, and also threatened to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi, forcing the Centre to intervene and take over the murder investigation.

In the Amravati incident, where veterinary pharmacist Umesh Kolhe was murdered on June 21, the focus is on online handlers who motivated the accused to attack those supporting the controversial statements of now-suspended Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma on Prophet Mohammed, said another officer who asked not to be named.

No organised gang or terror outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks. Investigators are yet to ascertain if the incidents are connected, except the fact that the accused targeted people who supported Sharma’s statements.

Sharma’s comments on Prophet Mohammed during a TV debate on May 28 triggered an international outcry and domestic protests. She was suspended as a spokesperson of the ruling party on June 5, while another leader, Naveen Jindal, was expelled for his statements on Islam.