Counterterrorism police in India say they believe the killing of a Hindu chemist was part of a wider plot during weeks of unrest over anti-Islamic comments made by a former ruling party spokeswoman.
Seven Muslim men have been arrested in connection with the murder of Umesh Kolhe, 54, who was stabbed to death while riding his scooter to his home in Amravati in western Maharashtra state on the night of June 21.
Authorities believe he was killed for defending Nupur Sharma, a Bharatiya Janata Party spokeswoman who made derogatory comments about the Prophet Mohammed and his wife Aisha during a debate on a private news channel in May.
The National Investigation Agency, India’s federal investigation agency and primary counterterrorism task force, said the killing was intended to terrorise a certain section of the population.
“The said incident of cold-blooded murder of deceased Umesh Kolhe was an act of larger conspiracy of a group of accused persons and others who have conspired among themselves to strike terror amongst a section of people of India,” the NIA said.
The agency will investigate whether the suspects “attempted to promote enmity on the grounds of religion and thereby commit a terrorist act”, the complaint said.
The incident happened a week before a Hindu tailor, Kanhaiya Lal, was hacked to death, reportedly by two Muslim men who posed as customers, in Udaipur in western Rajasthan state.
One of the men arrested in connection with Kolhe's killing was one of the chemist’s friends, Yusuf Khan.
Kolhe’s brother Mahesh said that Mr Khan, a veterinary surgeon, and his brother were “good friends”.
“Through the police note, we found out that my brother was murdered over his post on Nupur Sharma … He was good friends with Yusuf Khan,” Mahesh Kolhe said.
“We have known him since 2006.
“We are happy that the probe has been handed over to the NIA. We think that the matter will reach its conclusion soon and all the accused will be arrested.”
The killing was initially treated as a case of murder and robbery but on Saturday it was transferred to the NIA by Home Minister Amit Shah. The decision came after the local BJP branch claimed police were trying to cover up the reasons behind the killing.
The BJP, the party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday planned to go ahead with hosting a condolence meeting for Kolhe in Amravati despite being denied police permission.
Security was increased in the town before a gathering that is expected to draw about 2,500 people, including members of Hindu right-wing groups.
Ms Sharma’s remarks sparked global condemnation. Gulf nations, including Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE, lodged diplomatic protests over her statements. The remarks also led to street protests in which at least two people were killed.
Mr Modi’s government distanced itself from the controversy and said the remarks came from “fringe elements”. Ms Sharma was suspended from the party.
Since the incident, tension has run high among India’s 200 million Muslims. Many have demanded the arrest of Ms Sharma.
Police in Kolkata on Saturday issued a notice against her for failing to turn up to summons issued by at least two police stations in the city.
Ms Sharma approached the Supreme Court last week to block police cases against her in several states, citing threats to her life.
Her request was rejected by the judges, who said her “loose tongue has set the country on fire” and that she was “single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country”.
Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
LUKA CHUPPI
Director: Laxman Utekar
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Cinema
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Aparshakti Khurana
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
HWJN
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Company%20Profile
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Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
Honeymoonish
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
FIGHT%20CARD
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFeatherweight%204%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EYousuf%20Ali%20(2-0-0)%20(win-loss-draw)%20v%20Alex%20Semugenyi%20(0-1-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWelterweight%206%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBenyamin%20Moradzadeh%20(0-0-0)%20v%20Rohit%20Chaudhary%20(4-0-2)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EHeavyweight%204%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EYoussef%20Karrar%20(1-0-0)%20v%20Muhammad%20Muzeei%20(0-0-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWelterweight%206%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMarwan%20Mohamad%20Madboly%20(2-0-0)%20v%20Sheldon%20Schultz%20(4-4-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESuper%20featherweight%208%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBishara%20Sabbar%20(6-0-0)%20v%20Mohammed%20Azahar%20(8-5-1)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECruiseweight%208%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMohammed%20Bekdash%20(25-0-0)%20v%20Musa%20N%E2%80%99tege%20(8-4-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESuper%20flyweight%2010%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESultan%20Al%20Nuaimi%20(9-0-0)%20v%20Jemsi%20Kibazange%20(18-6-2)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELightweight%2010%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBader%20Samreen%20(8-0-0)%20v%20Jose%20Paez%20Gonzales%20(16-2-2-)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results:
First Test: New Zealand 30 British & Irish Lions 15
Second Test: New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24
Third Test: New Zealand 15 British & Irish Lions 15
SWEET%20TOOTH
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
