The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed its charge sheet in connection with the murder of Amravati-based chemist who supported the statements made in May by suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on the Prophet.
Umesh Kolhe, 54, was killed on June 21, 2022 at Amravati by two motorcycle-borne men by slitting his throat. She had made objectionable remarks on the Prophet on national television that sparked an outrage on the national and international level. On July 2, the Maharashtra Police arrested seven people before the case was taken over by the NIA.
The Central agency on July 6 conducted raids at 13 locations across Maharashtra in connection with Kolhe’s murder. It is reported to have recovered incriminating materials, including pamphlets spreading hate messages, knives, mobile phones, SIM cards, and memory cards.
The accused are Irfan Shaikh, Shoaib Khan, Mudassir Ahmed, Aatif Rashid, Yusuf Khan, Abdul Toufiq and Shahrukh Pathan and one wanted accused Shamim Ahmed Firoj Ahmed, Abdul Arbaz, Maulavi Mushfique Ahmed and Shamim Ahmed. All were present through video conferencing.
The First Information Report was registered under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and Sections 34 (acts done with common intention), 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony),153 B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.
