Kamlesh Tiwari
Kamlesh Tiwari (died 18 October 2019)[1] was a Hindu nationalist politician who founded the Hindu Samaj Party in 2017.[2]
When the politician Azam Khan alluded of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh members to be homosexuals, Tiwari retaliated that Muhammad was the first homosexual.[3] Tiwari's comment was considered derogatory by thousands of Indian Muslims[4][5] who protested and demanded a death penalty for Tiwari.[6][7] He was arrested, charged under National Security Act,[8] and jailed for a few months by the Uttar Pradesh Police.[3]
In October 2019, he was murdered at his house in Lucknow.[9]
Career
Tiwari had contested the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly election from Lucknow and lost.[10][11] He had claimed himself to be the working president of Hindu Mahasabha.[6] But the claim was disputed by Swami Chakrapani, the national president of the Hindu Mahasabha. He later founded the Hindu Samaj Party in 2017.[9] He also contested from Faizabad in 2019 Indian general election but lost.[12]
Comment on Prophet Muhammad
On 2 December 2015, Azam Khan, a politician of the Samajwadi Party, stated[note 1] that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh members are homosexuals and that is why they do not get married.[6][15][16] The next day, Kamlesh Tiwari retaliated to Azam Khan's statement and called Muhammad as the first homosexual in the world.[6][7] Thousands of Muslims protested in Muzaffarnagar and demanded death penalty for Tiwari,[6][17][18] with some demanding that he be "beheaded" for “insulting” Muhammad.[7] Tiwari was arrested in Lucknow on 3 December 2015 by Uttar Pradesh Police.[3][7] Protest rallies against his statement were held by several Islamic groups in other parts of India, most of them demanding death penalty.[19]
Tiwari was promptly arrested for his remarks in early December 2015, and charged under National Security Act by the Samajwadi Party-led state government in Uttar Pradesh.[8] Tiwari spent several months in jail for his comment. He was charged under Indian Penal Code sections 153-A (promoting enmity between groups on the grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).[20][21]
The protests demanding capital punishment for Tiwari triggered counter-protests by Hindu groups who accused Muslim groups of demanding enforcement of Islamic law of blasphemy in India.[7] His detention under National Security Act was revoked by Allahabad High Court in 2016.[22][10]
Death
On 18 October 2019, Tiwari was murdered by two assailants in his office-cum-residence at Lucknow. The assailants came dressed in saffron kurtas to give him a sweets box with an address of a sweet shop in Surat city in Gujarat.[23][24] Tiwari's aide Saurashtrajeet Singh was sent to bring cigarettes for them and when he returned he found Tiwari lying with his throat slit. According to police officials, the assailants kept a revolver and knife inside the sweets box. During the attack, one assailant slit his throat while another fired at him.[24] He was declared dead during treatment at a hospital's trauma centre.[12]
Investigation
Previously two ISIS suspects detained by Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad, had accepted that they wanted to kill Kamlesh Tiwari in 2017.[25][26] Al-Hind Brigade, a lesser known group, claimed the responsibility of death of Tiwari.[27][28] As of 19 October 2019, six accused involved in the murder of Tiwari were detained by the Surat Police, Gujarat ATS and Uttar Pradesh Police.[29][24] The police used CCTV footage of a sweet mart in Surat whose address was found on the sweets box.[24] According to the police, the pistol used in the murder was bought in Surat and murder was planned in Dubai.[30] According to the Police, Tiwari’s comment on Muhammad was the motive for his murder and that his murder was a planned attack.[31][32]
Notes
- ^ Khan's statement came after Arun Jaitley argued in favor of homosexual rights in India.[13][14]
References
- ^ "Hindu Group Leader Kamlesh Tiwari Shot Dead In Lucknow". NDTV.com. Retrieved Oct 20, 2019.
- ^ "लखनऊ में हिंदू समाज पार्टी के नेता कमलेश तिवारी की गला रेतकर हत्या". Aaj Tak (in Hindi). Retrieved 2019-10-18.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c Bhatia, Ishita (4 December 2015). "Kamlesh Tiwari not a member, says Hindu Mahasabha". The Times of India. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
- ^ Kumar, Satish (2017-11-22). India's National Security: Annual Review 2016-17. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781351240796.
- ^ Ali, Mohammad (2016-01-20). "Kamlesh Tiwari may contest U.P. bypolls". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
- ^ a b c d e "This is what Kamlesh Tiwari said about Prophet Muhammad which infuriated Muslims". Zee News. 2015-12-12. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
- ^ a b c d e Who was Kamlesh Tiwari, the Hindu Samaj Party leader killed in broad daylight in Lucknow?, India Today (October 18 2019)
- ^ a b Kamlesh Tiwari may contest U.P. bypolls, Mohammad Ali, The Hindu (September 20 2016), Quote: "Mr. Tiwari, who was granted bail last week by a Lucknow court, will remain in jail until the Allahabad High Court decides on his plea against the slapping of the National Security Act (NSA) on him by the State government."
- ^ a b Chakraborty, Pathikrit (18 October 2019). "Kamlesh Tiwari: Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari stabbed to death in Lucknow". The Times of India. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
- ^ a b Taneja, Nidhi (2019-10-18). "Who was Kamlesh Tiwari". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ "Kamlesh Tiwari murder: UP Police arrest three persons from Surat". The Indian Express. 2019-10-19. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ a b Rashid, Omar (2019-10-18). "Saffron fringe group leader Kamlesh Tiwari killed in Lucknow". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
- ^ Muslims want ban on Hindu Mahasabha; does Kamlesh Tiwari really belong to it?, Zee News (December 13 2015)
- ^ How it all started: Tiwari commented on Azam’s reaction to Jaitley’s remarks on SC gay sex ruling, Indian Express (December 16 2015)
- ^ "Azam Khan no stranger to controversies, has a history of squabbles". Hindustan Times. 2019-07-27. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ Dec 1, Mrigank Tiwari | TNN | Updated; 2015; Ist, 22:10. "RSS volunteers are 'homosexuals', says Azam Khan | Bareilly News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
{{cite web}}
:|last2=
has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Dec 11, Uday Rana | TNN | Updated; 2015; Ist, 17:43. "1 lakh Muslims gather in Muzaffarnagar, demand death for Kamlesh Tiwari | Meerut News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
{{cite web}}
:|last2=
has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Team, DNA Web (2015-12-12). "Here's why 1 lakh Muslims are demanding death penalty for Kamlesh Tiwari". DNA India. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
- ^ Team, DNA Web (2015-12-12). "Here's why 1 lakh Muslims are demanding death penalty for Kamlesh Tiwari". DNA India. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
- ^ Preeti (2016-01-05). "All You Need To Know About Malda Violence: Explained". OneIndia.com. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
- ^ "Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari found murdered inside house in Lucknow". The Indian Express. 2019-10-18. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ "Kamlesh Tiwari Murder: Wife Blames 'Maulanas' for Hindu Leader's Death, Cops Call It 'Purely Criminal'". News18. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ Plan to kill Kamlesh Tiwari hatched 2 months ago: Police, India Today (October 19 2019)
- ^ a b c d Shaikh, Sarfaraz (19 October 2019). "Kamlesh Tiwari murder case: Six detained in Surat". The Times of India. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ Shaikh, Sarfaraz (19 October 2019). "Surat link in UP Hindu Samaj leader murder?". The Times of India. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ "ISIS के निशान पर थे कमलेश तिवारी, गुजरात ATS के पास सबूत". Aaj Tak (in Hindi). Retrieved 2019-10-19.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "On WhatsApp, Al-Hind Brigade Claims Responsibility for Killing Hindu Leader Kamlesh Tiwari". News18. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ "President of UP political outfit murdered at home 3 booked". The Week. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ Mamtany, Sidhant (2019-10-19). "Gujarat ATS cracks Kamlesh Tiwari murder case, key conspirators held in Surat". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ "Kamlesh Tiwari murder: FIR against three after wife of of[sic] ex-Hindu Mahasabha leader blames Maulanas; police call it 'personal enmity'". Firstpost. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ "Kamlesh Tiwari murder: UP Police says case solved, remarks on Prophet Muhammad behind killing". India Today. Ist. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
- ^ "Hindu Leader Kamlesh Tiwari Killed Over Objectionable Comments in 2015, 3 Held from Gujarat: UP Police". News18. Retrieved 2019-10-20.