Udaipur: Several thousands of men waving the national tricolor and orange flags marched down the streets of Udaipur silently Thursday, to protest against the murder of Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal Teli, allegedly by two Muslim men, for a purported social media post in support of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who made controversial comments against Prophet Muhammad last month.
Identified by the police as Mohammad Riyaz Attari and Ghaus Mohammed, both accused were arrested late Tuesday night.
The anger over Teli’s killing, which had spilled out during his cremation march the day before, was now replaced by measured chants of Vande Mataram and Bharat Mata ki jai.
Organisers continually urged the protestors to refrain from any communally provocative sloganeering and violence.
Around 4,000 men participated in the march — from Udaipur’s Town Hall to the Collectorate, via Bapu Bazar and Delhi Gate. The first row of marchers held a yellow cloth banner that clearly said that it was a ‘peaceful protest’.
Though organised by members of the Hindu ‘Sahu’ community to which Teli belonged, people from Udaipur’s Jain and Sikh communities also joined the march to lend their support to the protest against Teli’s killing.
“The Sikh community is a part of the Hindutva movement. Our gurus have sacrificed their lives for the Hindu community. We’ll stand with them till the end of time,” Dharamveer Singh Saluja, president of Udaipur’s Sach Khand Darbar gurudwara told ThePrint.
While there were no women among those participating in the march, a group of them stood on the sidelines to show their support.
“There should have been more women here. We don’t feel comfortable to take part in the march now (since there were no other women). But we women will soon mobilise and join the protests in large numbers too. Our brothers have our full support,” said 38-year-old Puneeta Swami, one among the group.
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Bloodthirst beneath the surface
The calm of the protestors was merely skin-deep, however. Scratch the surface and it became clear that the Hindu men were furious at Teli’s brutal murder, and sought revenge.
Soon after the march ended, an old Muslim man crossing the road to reach a masjid, was heckled by the so-far peaceful protesters. Slogans of ‘desh ke gaddaro ko, goli maaro saalo ko (kill betrayers of the country)’ and ‘mulla mulla kaata jayega (Muslims will be butchered)’ were raised.
Two men discussing the future course of action, hinted at violence.
The march itself had not been completely without communal tones. Though silent, many of the protestors carried placards that read ‘Rajasthan sarkar Muslim ugrawadiyo ko mat bachao (Rajasthan government don’t shield Muslim terrorists’, ‘Atankvaad ki jad madarse. Band karo, band karo (Madrasas are the breeding ground of terrorism. Close them)’, or “Jihadi atankwad nahi sahenge (We won’t tolerate jihad-linked terrorism)’.
Police had claimed Wednesday that one of the accused involved in Kanhaiya Lal’s killing was in touch with a Pakistan-based Sunni Islamic organisation, Dawat-e-Islami, and had also visited the neighbouring country in 2014.
Founded in 1981 by Maulana Ilyas Attari in Karachi, the Dawat-e-Islami has been associated with several incidents of violence– linked to the issue of blasphemy – across the world but is also known for conducting charitable activities.
When the protestors reached Udaipur’s Surajkund Circle, stone pelting from a nearby masjid caused the participants to charge towards the building, but were stopped by the police deployed there.
Many of the protestors credited Dinesh M.N, additional director general of police, anti-corruption bureau, Rajasthan — who was present during the march — for Thursday’s peaceful agitation.
An accused in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh alleged fake encounter case, Dinesh commands huge respect in Udaipur, where he had formerly served as superintendent of police, said the protestors. Claiming that Udaipur was a more peaceful place when he was there, they added that they would like him to have special charge of the place again.
Slogans of ‘Dinesh M.N. zindabad (long live Dinesh M.N.) were raised, as he arrived at the march and many ran to get selfies clicked with him.
“There would have been definite violence today had Dinesh sir not been present. Credit for the peaceful ending of the march goes to him,” said Khyal Singh Chaudhary, one of the protesters.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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