Delhi Police Special Cell sources say Talha and Sajid had used the name of self-proclaimed Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari and the objectionable remarks he made against Prophet Muhammad to enrage and further radicalise other men, who were allegedly sympathetic towards the Jaish-e-Mohammad.
Last December, Mr. Tiwari had made controversial remarks against Prophet Muhammad. His remarks came a day after Uttar Pradesh Minister and senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan made the same remark against members of the RSS.
“Repeated mentions of Mr. Tiwari were made on the WhatsApp group they were a part of. He was cited as an example of how the Indian state lets those making offensive statements against Islam get away lightly,” said a senior police officer.
This, he said, provoked those in the WhatsApp group. Several replies show that the episode deeply impacted the group members, who felt that a jail term was not enough and that Mr. Tiwari should be executed for his remarks instead.
Mr. Tiwari’s remarks had provoked countrywide protests by the minority community. In some cases, the protests turned violent.
It was in the backdrop of these protests, a meeting was held at Sajid’s residence. At the meeting, Shakir, Sameer and others had purportedly discussed Mr. Tiwari’s remarks and Sajid tried to make a rallying point out of it as well.
In addition to this, Muzaffarnagar riots videos and those capturing the alleged atrocities against Muslim in Jammu & Kashmir and Iraq were also shown to the youth to radicalise them, said police sources.
Refusing to give an exact number, the Delhi Police on Friday said that most of the 10 detained youth will be let off by late evening, while the rest are likely to be arrested. A senior police officer added the youth being let off will be kept under the watch of non-government organisations, who will counsel and de-radicalise them.
