Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje on Tuesday slammed the Ashok Gehlot government over the beheading incident in Udaipur, saying the policies of “incitement and appeasement” led to the communal violence in the state.
“With the brutal murder of innocent man in Udaipur, it has become clear that due to the instigation and appeasement of the state government, the morale of the criminals is high. Due to this policy of the state government, a situation of communal frenzy and violence has arisen in the state,” Raje said in a video statement posted on Twitter.
"Those people and organizations behind this incident should be exposed and arrested immediately," she added.
The victim, Kanhaiya Lal, reportedly had shared a social media post in support of Nupur Sharma, former BJP spokesperson who had made controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammad. Tensions soared in Rajasthan following the brutal killing, prompting the state government to restrict gatherings in all the districts for the next one month. Internet services were suspended in the entire state on Tuesday.
{{/usCountry}}The victim, Kanhaiya Lal, reportedly had shared a social media post in support of Nupur Sharma, former BJP spokesperson who had made controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammad. Tensions soared in Rajasthan following the brutal killing, prompting the state government to restrict gatherings in all the districts for the next one month. Internet services were suspended in the entire state on Tuesday.
{{/usCountry}}Gehlot urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah to appeal to the youth of the state to maintain peace.
Addressing the reporters, Gehlot said, "It is a sad and shameful incident. There is a tense atmosphere in the nation today. Why does not Prime Minister and Amit Shah address the nation? There is tension among people. PM should address the public and say that such violence will not be tolerated and appeal for peace."
"It is a very sad incident. It is not a small incident, what has happened is beyond one's imagination. The culprits will not be spared," he added.
Leaders across party lines expressed shock over the brutal killing and called for a swift action against the two accused, identified as Riyaz Akhtar and Ghos Mohammad. Both accused were arrested within hours of the incident and the Gehlot government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter.
Meanwhile, the central government has rushed a team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to Udaipur, officials at North Block said.