New Delhi: Five people have been arrested for the murder of Kamlesh Tiwari, the leader of a political party in Uttar Pradesh who was killed at his residence in Lucknow on Friday, Director-General of UP Police O.P. Singh said at a press conference in Lucknow today.
Of the five, three were taken into custody in Surat in Gujarat during a joint operation between the police forces of the two states. The two other arrests were those of Muslim clerics – Mohammed Mufti Naeem Kazmi and Imam Maulana Anwarul Haq – from western UP’s Bijnor district who had been named in an FIR filed by Tiwari’s wife.
Also read: Hindu Leader Kamlesh Tiwari Shot Dead in Lucknow House
Two other accused, those believed to have carried out the attack on the president of Hindu Samaj Party, are still on the run, NDTV reported.
“The three persons who have been taken into custody in Surat are Mohsin Sheikh, Faizan and Rashid Ahmed. So far there is no terror angle associated with this incident,” Singh said.
“Prime facie it seems that Tiwari was murdered due to his controversial statement made in 2015,” the DGP said, as he ruled out any terror angle.
#WATCH OP Singh, UP DGP on #KamleshTiwariMurder: Prima facie this was a radical killing, these people were radicalized by the speech that he (Kamlesh Tiwari) gave in 2015, but much more can come out when we catch hold of the remaining criminals. pic.twitter.com/kJ19yoBLh5
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 19, 2019
The Uttar Pradesh police and their Gujarat counterparts are interrogating the persons taken into custody, the DGP said.
Uttar Pradesh DGP, OP Singh on #KamleshTiwariMurder: We are working in collaboration with the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), till now no link with any terrorist organisation has been established. We will look into all the details and take action. https://t.co/hya9oYfEXR
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 19, 2019
According to NDTV, Satyam Tiwari, the Hindu leader’s son, has questioned whether the case will be investigated properly.
“I don’t know if the men arrested murdered my father or if someone else did and innocent people are being framed. If these are the actual culprits and the police has video evidence, the NIA should take over probe. If they probe and this (the arrests) is proved we will be satisfied. We do not have belief in this administration,” he told NDTV.
Tiwari, 45, who was earlier associated with a faction of the Hindu Mahasabha, was killed at his home in Khurshed Bagh under the Naka Hindola police station area in Lucknow on Friday.
An FIR had been registered against three persons in connection with the killing.
Meanwhile, ANI reported that Tiwari’s family has said that they won’t cremate the body until they get a chance to meet UP chief minister Adityanath, and have threatened to set themselves on fire.
Family members of #KamleshTiwari say that they won’t cremate his body till Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath pays them a visit. Wife says,”I will self-immolate.” https://t.co/ONDfEMePyR pic.twitter.com/hRfSb9LhFp
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 19, 2019
(With inputs from PTI)