Heavy security has been deployed in Amravati ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) ‘Shok Sabha’ – a condolence meeting – for Umesh Kolhe, 54, who was murdered by seven men allegedly for his posts supporting Nupur Sharma.
Hundreds are expected to take part in the ‘shraddhanjali’ ceremony including workers of VHP.
Police personnel have been marching across the city in huge numbers. Anil Bhonde, Rajya Sabha MP, will participate in the homage paying ceremony at 11 p.m. in Rajkamal Chowk in Amravati.
The seventh accused in the killing of Kohle, a chemist, was arrested on Sunday even as the police are conducting an investigation into the bank accounts of an NGO, of which the accused is a director, a senior official said on Sunday.
There were similarities between the murders of Kolhe and of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Rajasthan’s Udaipur city, as both the victims had posted messages on social media supporting Nupur Sharma, who has been suspended by the BJP for making controversial comments about Prophet Mohammad, police said.
Earlier, the Union Home Ministry spokesperson had tweeted that the probe into the Amravati case has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). However, Amravati police commissioner Dr Arti Singh on Sunday said the central agency is yet to formally take over the probe as the police department has so far not received orders about the transfer of the investigation into the case.
The NIA is also probing the killing of tailor Kanhaiya Lal.
Police had earlier said that on the face of it, the killing of Kolhe was linked to certain posts that he had shared in WhatsApp groups supporting Nupur Sharma.
An NIA team interrogated Khan on Sunday morning at the city Kotwali police station, before he was taken to the Amravati district and sessions court amid tight security.
The local court remanded Khan in police custody till July 7, the police official said. Earlier, police had arrested six other people – Mudassar Ahmed alias Sonu Raza Sheikh Ibrahim (22), Shahrukh Pathan alias Badshasha Hidayat Khan (25), Abdul Taufik alias Nanu Sheikh Taslim (24), Shoeb Khan alias Bhurya Sabir Khan (22), Atib Rashid Aadil Rashid (22) and Dr Yusuf Khan Bahadur Khan (44) – in connection with Kolhe’s killing.
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