Geert Wilders, the Dutch MP who supported expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nupur Sharma for her remarks on Prophet Muhammad, on Tuesday (June 28, 2022) reacted to Udaipur murder and asked India to "stop being tolerant to intolerant". After two men with a cleaver killed tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur city's Dhan Mandi area and posted videos online that said they are avenging an insult to Islam, Wilders said that the Hindus should be safe in India as it is "their country" and "their homeland".
"Please India as a friend I tell you: stop being tolerant to the intolerant. Defend Hinduism against the extremists, terrorists and jihadists. Don't appease Islam, for it will cost you dearly. Hindus deserve leaders that protect them for the full 100%," he tweeted.
"Hindus should be safe in India. It is their country, their homeland, it's theirs! India is no Islamic nation," Wilders, a far-right leader from The Netherlands, said.
An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Dhan Mandi police station in Udaipur was on Tuesday suspended for negligence following the murder of a tailor there. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Hawa Singh Ghumaria said an FIR against Kanhaiya Lal was registered on June 11 for sharing a controversial post on social media and he was arrested.
On June 15, while he was on bail, he told police that he was receiving threat calls. The local SHO summoned him, the complainant and some people from both the communities to the police station and settled the matter, he said.
After the murder, ASI Bhanwar Lal posted at Dhan Mandi police station has been suspended for negligence at that time, Inspector General of Police, Udaipur, Hinglaj Dan said.
It is alleged that the ASI did not pay heed to the concern raised by Kanhaiya Lal regarding the threat calls that he was receiving, he said. The ADG said that those who had come to mediate are also being interrogated.
Prohibitory orders banning people from assembling have been clamped across Rajasthan for a month and mobile internet services suspended for the next 24 hours. At 8 pm, curfew was declared till further orders in seven police station areas of Udaipur city.
The Union Home Ministry dispatched a team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to Udaipur and Rajasthan Police also announced a special investigation team (SIT) soon after the arrest of the two men, identified as Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad.
In a video clip, Akhtari declared that they had "beheaded" the man and went on to threaten Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying their knife will get him as well. Indirectly, the assailants also referred to Nupur Sharma, the BJP spokeswoman who has been suspended from the party over remarks on Prophet Muhammad during a TV debate.
(With inputs from agencies)