On October 18, 2019, Kamlesh Tiwari was killed in his own house in Khurshidbagh of Lucknow by two assailants dressed in saffron robes. The murder was similar to that of the tailor Kanhaiya Lal who was murdered in Udaipur, Rajasthan on June 28, 2022. Islamists accused both deceased of blasphemy. On 22nd June 2022, three years after Kamlesh Tiwari’s murder, his wife Kiran Tiwari received a threatening letter written in Urdu script. Through this letter, Kiran Tiwari received a threat that she too will be killed like her husband. OpIndia spoke to Kamlesh Tiwari’s family on July 3, 2022 (Sunday) to know the current situation.
Someone secretly kept the threat letter in the office
OpIndia spoke to Mrudul Tiwari, the younger son of the late Kamlesh Tiwari. He said, “We did not know when the threatening letter came. There were several letters in the office. This one was one of them. One day, when our office in-charge opened the letters and started reading them one by one, the threat was found on the office table. This is a letter written in Urdu, which we translated and found out that there is a threat to mother (Kiran Tiwari). In the letter, Yogiji’s face (CM Yogi Adityanath’s picture) is also marked with a cross sign.”
Security of house tightened after threat
Mrudul Tiwari told, “As soon as we got the letter, we informed the administration. After this, the police tightened the security measures provided at our house. Earlier, there were 4 policemen deployed in the security of the house. The number has now increased to 6. There is already a gunman for mother’s security. He accompanies our mother wherever she goes.”
The key conspirator is still absconding
Mrudul Tiwari added, “I am a student in intermediate college. We are 3 brothers. The eldest brother is studying LLB. The other one is also studying. In all, 13 accused were arrested in my father’s murder case. Out of them, five accused got bail. It also includes Maulana Kaifi of Bareilly. One of the accused, Tanvir Hashmi, has not been caught since the incident. He is the mastermind of the conspiracy. It is heard that he has fled to Nepal.”
The government promised a lot but delivered nothing
Mrudul Tiwari further said, “The government had promised a government job to one of our family members. The DM of Sitapur also gave it in writing. But even after 3 years, no one has been given a job. We want this job for our older brother. With this, there was an assurance to run the case of our father’s assassination (Kamlesh Tiwari) in the fast track court, and this also did not happen. There was also a promise to give an arms license to our mother. This promise has not been fulfilled so far. In the name of help, 15 lakh rupees were received from the government. We are using those funds on our education and household expenses, and also on fighting the case in the court to get justice for our father.”
‘I will follow my father’s footsteps’
Mrudul Tiwari asserted, “My father’s blood is in my veins. I will take his mission ahead. I will work for the good cause of Hinduism.”
The Supreme Court transferred the case on demand of the murder accused
Talking to OpIndia, Kiran Tiwari, wife of late Kamlesh Tiwari, said, “The Supreme Court transferred the case from Lucknow to Prayagraj on the demand of the killers while the arrested accused are still lodged in Lucknow jail. The killers were citing the issue of their safety in Lucknow. Surprisingly, those who can come to Lucknow from Gujarat to commit the murder are afraid of fighting the case in Lucknow and the Supreme Court has accepted this. Now I have to go to Prayagraj, 200 km away from Lucknow, on every date at my own expense. During this time, there is only one gunner with me. It is not only a waste of money but a compromise on my security for the whole day.”
‘We have 2-3 lawyers with us; the killers have dozens including Hindus’
Kiran Tiwari further said, “Mahmood Pracha was the Supreme Court lawyer who got the killers’ case transferred to Prayagraj. He is considered an influential lawyer. In Prayagraj court, usually, there are only 2 to 3 lawyers during the hearing on our behalf while dozens of lawyers stand to argue for the killers. Many among those dozens of lawyers are Hindus. It hurts us a lot to see this. Actually, there is more money on the opposite side and we are financially weak.”
‘At this pace, the case may take 50 years’
Kiran Tiwari told, “If the case had been in the fast track court as promised, the killers would have been punished. But I’m just getting one date after the other. If this continues so, we’ll have to fight the case for 50 years. There has been no witness yet. 15 lakh rupees given by the government will finish soon. No one has even got a job as promised. To get the job, we also got an order from the High Court one month ago. The order says that we should be given the job within two months. But we don’t know what will happen.”
‘They spit on our posters’
OpIndia spoke to Kamlesh Tiwari’s office in charge Vishal Gupta. He said, “I have been coming to Kamlesh Tiwari Ji’s office since I was 14. I myself live in Maulvi Ganj, a Muslim-dominated area of Lucknow. Some people spit on the banner posters we put up there. After Nupur Sharma’s case appeared in the news, the people of my locality had put up a WhatsApp status demanding to behead. The government should take care of us. Even if the police increase patrolling in our area, it will be a great relief for us.”
