Former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s alleged ‘blasphemous’ remark about Prophet Muhammad on May 26 sparked outrage amongst Islamists not just in India but around the world. Her decision to merely quote an excerpt from the Islamic Hadith during a TV show proved catastrophic for her political career and mental peace after AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair dog-whistled about her comments to Islamists.
This set off a series of incidents that culminated into a constant barrage of threats at Sharma and attacks on those who dared to speak out in her support, many of which turned out to be extremely brutal.
In the last few months, rabid Islamists, who have been using Nupur Sharma just as an excuse to show muscle power and challenge state forces, have brutally executed, attacked and threatened a number of people for voicing their support for the former BJP leader on social media.
Engineering student in Bhopal found dead on railway tracks a day after his father received ‘Gustakh-e-Nabi ki ek saza, sar tan sey judaa’ message
Only yesterday (July 26), the mysterious death of an engineering student from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh came to light. Nishank Rathore, a third-year college student, was found dead on the railway tracks near Obaidullaganj town in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh on Monday. Before his death, his father had received a message that read, “Gustakh-e-Nabi ki ek saza, sar tan sey judaa.”
Suleman attacks Mukesh Tiwari for supporting Nupur Sharma on social media
On July 23, a man identified as Mukesh Tiwari was beaten up by one Mohammad Suleman for alleged posts and comments in favour of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma in Baikunthpur Police Station Area of Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Despite the suspension of Sharma and an apology from her for the alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammed, the Islamists have been unsparing toward those who have dared to support her.
Islamists attack Bajrang Dal activist for supporting Nupur Sharma
On July 20, a Bajrang Dal activist identified as Ayush Jadam from Agar, Madhya Pradesh, was allegedly attacked by Islamists for supporting the former spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Nupur Sharma. As per reports, Ayush was travelling on Ujjain Road when a group of 10-12 people attacked him with sharp weapons.
In a statement, Ayush said that during the attack, the Islamists threatened to behead him for supporting Nupur Sharma. Ayush added that he suspected someone was following him for some days but did not pay much attention to it.
Rajasthan Police arrest five over death threats to man for supporting the ex-BJP leader
On July 16, Bhilwara Police in Rajasthan arrested five people for giving death threats to a man identified as Ayush Soni. As per reports, he was receiving ‘sar tan se juda’ threats after he allegedly shared a social media post supporting Nupur Sharma. He had shared the post on WhatsApp, after which he received these threats.
When Hindu organizations came to know about the death threats given to Soni, they demanded quick and strict action. Protests and bandh were called by the Hindu organizations in Bhilwara. Later on Saturday, the Police arrested five people for threatening Soni, and security was provided to his family.
Ankit Kumar Jha was stabbed for watching a video of Nupur Sharma
Prior to the above incident, a 23-year-old man named Ankit Kumar Jha was stabbed multiple times for watching a video of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on social media. The incident took place in the Sitamarhi district in the Tirhut Division of Bihar on July 15.
As per reports, Jha was watching the video of his own social media status about Nupur Sharma on his mobile which drew the ire of the Islamists, who then attacked him with a knife at least 6 times, leaving him critically injured.
A complaint was filed by the victim’s family at the Nanpur police station against the four accused, namely, Mohammed Bilal, Mohammed Nihal, Gulab Rabanni (alias Gora) and Hilal. Two of the accused had been arrested and sent to judicial custody.
Young businessman receives death threats for supporting Nupur Sharma
Death threats to people supporting Nupur Sharma on social media still continue. A case appeared in the Umra area of Surat city in Gujarat on July 15, where a young businessman received death threats for supporting Nupur Sharma on social media. An FIR was registered in the Umra police station, and the police arrested three persons in the case.
The complainant youth runs an amusement park in the city. A picture of former Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma was uploaded on the Instagram page of the park. After this, the youth received death threats from seven persons. Initially, the youth ignored these threats but as the threats continued, he contacted the police station and told the officials about the threats. The police initiated the procedure to file an FIR and arrested three youths.
The arrested accused were identified as Mohammad Ayan Atashbajiwala, Rashid Bhura, and a woman named Aliya Mohammad.
Lawyer in Gujarat receives death threats from Islamists after he used the image of Nupur Sharma as WhatsApp status for 3 minutes
Yet another incident where Islamists exhibited extreme intolerance was when one Ahmedabad-based lawyer received threats for life after he used an image of Nupur Sharma as his WhatsApp status picture for just three minutes. The incident was reported on July 6.
The 32-year-old lawyer Krupal Raval had uploaded Nupur Sharma’s image as his WhatsApp status in last month but had removed it in just three minutes. But even in that short duration, Islamists took note of it. Raval said that soon after he had removed the status, he received threats for ‘supporting’ Nupur Sharma.
Around two hours after he had removed the image, he received a message on WhatsApp from a person who abused him using derogatory language and asked him why he was supporting Nupur Sharma. Krupal replied back asking for the person’s identity, but then blocked the number.
A few hours later, he received a call on his phone from an unidentified person, who threatened to kill him for supporting Nupur Sharma.
Hindu boy brutally assaulted by a Muslim mob for sharing social media post in support of Nupur Sharma
Islamists have been unrelenting toward all those Hindus who have voiced their support for the ex-BJP leader. On July 5, a frenzied Muslim mob in Arrah, Bihar, attacked a Hindu boy for posting a social media post in support of the former BJP leader.
Deepak, the victim, had shared a post on Facebook in support of Nupur Sharma that drew the ire of one Islamist named Raees, who responded to the social media post with indecent remarks. The matter escalated in the evening when the war of the words spilt onto the streets in the form of a fierce fistfight between Raees and Deepak, following which Raees brought 20 to 30 men to beat Deepak up. Reportedly, the Islamists also vandalised the tea shop owned by one Sonu Kumar Singh.
The assault against the Hindu man comes close on the heels of fatal attacks against Udaipur’s Kanhaiya Lal and Umesh Kolhe—two Hindu men killed for extending support to former BJP leader Nupur Sharma over her remarks on Prophet Muhammad, despite the fact that whatever Sharma told during a TV debate is corroborated by Islamic hadiths and many scholars.
Umesh Kohle was brutally hacked to death by Islamists for sharing a social media post supporting Nupur Sharma
On the night of 22nd June 2022, Chemist Umesh Kolhe was killed by some Islamists in Amravati of Maharashtra for allegedly sharing a social media post supporting former Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma. Dr Yusuf Khan, Kolhe’s close friend, shared his social media post with another group called Rahebariya and informed his friends Sheikh Irrfan and others, and created hatred in their minds for Umesh Kolhe, resulting in the attack that led to his death.
Udaipur Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal beheaded in broad daylight
On June 28, a Hindu man named Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered in Udaipur, Rajasthan, over an alleged post in support of Nupur Sharma.
His neighbour Nazim filed a complaint against Kanhaiya Lal, following which he was arrested. Nazim also leaked Kanhaiya Lal’s number, photograph, and address to his community groups. After being released on bail, he continued to receive threats.
