New Delhi: Days after the murder of a Gujarat youth for allegedly sharing an ‘objectionable’ Facebook post, the case has been transferred to the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad after the three accused were arrested. The ATS has also found links to a Pakistan-based Maulana’s videos, which had allegedly misguided the youth.
SSP Ahmedabad Rural, Virendra Singh Yadav, told ThePrint that the two accused who shot 27 year-old Kishan Bharwad, along with a Maulvi who provided the weapons, have been arrested. “They are on remand till 5 February. The investigation about where they had held meetings and what else they had planned, is underway and is being done by the Anti Terrorism Squad”, he said.
Bharwad was shot dead on 25 January at Modhwada in Ahmedabad district’s Dhandhuka town around 5.30 pm by two people on a bike when he was riding a two-wheeler with his cousin.
According to police sources, Bharwad had written a Facebook post on January 6, in which he had made objectionable comments against a religion. An FIR was lodged against him at the Dhandhuka police station after a complaint by some Muslims and he was arrested by the police. He was later released on bail.
The arrested persons are Shabbiar alias Saba Chopda (24), Imtiyaz alias Imtu Pathan (27) and a Maulvi named Maulana Mohammed Zavaravala. According to the police, the Maulvi provided the weapons and ammunition to the Chopda and Pathan. According to police sources, the weapons were brought from Madhya Pradesh, from where the Mulana belongs.
Several towns of Gujarat have observed a bandh protesting Bharwad’s murder.
Also read: VHP observes ‘bandh’ in Gujarat town over murder of Hindu man; heavy police force deployed
‘Accused misled by Pakistani cleric’
Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi tweeted yesterday about the case being handed over to the Gujarat ATS, saying that the Gujarat Police “is committed to give justice to the victim’s family”.
ધંધુકા માં બનેલી હિંસક ઘટનાનો કેસ ATS ને સોંપવા માં આવેલ છે.પીડિત પરિવારને ન્યાય આપવા દૃઢ કટિબદ્ધતા સાથે ગુજરાત પોલીસ સંકલ્પબદ્ધ છે.
— Harsh Sanghavi (@sanghaviharsh) January 29, 2022
On 28 January, the minister also visited Bharwad’s family and promised justice. “The entire police force is constantly working to bring the father of the 20-day-old daughter to justice”. He had tweeted.
20 દિવસની દીકરીના પિતાને ટૂંક સમયમાં ઉચિત ન્યાય આપવા માટે સમગ્ર પોલીસ તંત્ર સતત કાર્યરત છે. pic.twitter.com/gXXwOrNoAY
— Harsh Sanghavi (@sanghaviharsh) January 28, 2022
According to a report by the Ahmedabad Mirror, the accused have been misled by videos of Pakistani cleric Maulana Khadim Rizvi. The report, quoting ATS sources, says that the two accused confessed that Maulana Zavaravala and Qamar Usmani of Tehreeke Farooghe Islam, a Delhi-based legal-aid organisation, made them watch vidoes of the Pakistan-based cleric.
The ATS also said in the report that other youths from Mumbai, Porbandar and Delhi have been “radicalised to carry out lone-wolf attacks against anyone who defames Islam”.
(Edited by Saikat Niyogi)
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