'Out-of-term promotion' for 5 cops who nabbed Udaipur killing accused
Udaipur beheading: The National Investigation Agency has been told to take over the case and 'thoroughly investigate' the involvement of any organisation or international links.
Five Rajasthan police officers involved in the arrest of two men accused of the brutal murder of a tailor in Udaipur will be given 'out-of-term' promotions, chief minister Ashok Gehlot said Wednesday afternoon after a meeting to review the law-and-order situation in the state.
"It has been decided to give out-of-term promotion to five policemen - Mr Tejpal, Mr Narendra, Mr Shaukat, Mr Vikas and Mr Gautam - who made quick arrests of the accused involved in the Udaipur incident," he tweeted.
Gehlot said the murder of Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal - by two Muslim men who filmed the sickening crime and circulated the video online - was 'prima facie done for the purpose of spreading terror'.
A case has been registered under anti-terror law UAPA, he said.
"Police said preliminary investigation revealed the incident was prima facie aimed at spreading terror," the chief minister explained.
READ | Udaipur murder aimed at spreading terror, case under UAPA: Gehlot
People familiar with the probe spoke of links to Dawat-e-Islami, a Karachi-based Sunni Islamist organisation connected to the Barelvi pan-Islamic Tehreek-e-Labbaik extremist group in Pakistan.
READ | Pakistan links emerge from savage Udaipur murder
The chief minister also asked the public to stay calm and said police officials across the state had been told to take strict action against trouble-makers.
Separately, the centre has directed the National Investigation Agency to take over the case and 'thoroughly investigate' possible international links.
READ | Centre directs NIA to probe Udaipur killing; 'foreign links' on the radar
Gehlot said the Anti-Terror Squad would co-operate fully with the NIA.
The horrific killing has sparked outrage across political lines, with opposition leaders united in calls for the harshest possible punishment for those guilty.
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav have all spoken up, as have Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from the ruling Congress.
Rajasthan police have called for calm and assured strict and prompt action.
To prevent potential law and order problems after the murder, mobile internet links were snapped and curfews imposed in Udaipur district and across the state. Wednesday morning the streets of the popular tourist destination wore a deserted look as its residents come to terms with the killing.
With input from ANI
