Days after Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur and Umesh Kolhe in Amravati were killed over social media posts in solidarity with Nupur Sharma, 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 on Tuesday 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.
SDM Jyotinath Sahdev and Assistant Superintendent of Police Himanshu Kumar, along with hundreds of police officers, rushed to the spot after being informed about the mob attack. The police claim tensions have been pacified, and the current situation is normal. However, the entire area has been converted into a cantonment, and a large contingent of the police force has been deployed in the region in order to avoid further clashes.
“A case of a tea seller being beaten up has come to the fore. The situation is in control now. Officials are present here. The incident of beating which has happened, if an FIR is filed then there will be arrests too. If anything happens because of a social media post, it is subject to inquiry, everything will come during the investigation,” Himanshu Kumar told reporters.
Speaking about the incident, Rajkumar, DM, Arrah, said, “Some people were drinking tea in a shop. The conflict happened between 2 groups due to a Facebook post. The violence happened, and now the situation is under control.”
Kanhaiya Lal, Umesh Kolhe killed for sharing social media post in support of Nupur Sharma
The assault against the Hindu man comes close on the heels of fatal attacks against Kanhaiya Lal and Umesh Kolhe—two Hindu men killed for extending support to former BJP leader Nupur Sharma over her remarks on Prophet Muhammad—although comments made by her find resonance with authentic and reliable Islamic Hadiths.
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.
Days later, on June 28, a Hindu man named Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered in Udaipur, Rajasthan, over an alleged post in favour of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma. The post was allegedly made by accident from Kanhaiya Lal’s phone by his 8-years-old son while playing a video game.
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
