The Nandurbar Police on Wednesday arrested a resident of Akkalkuwa in Nandurbar for allegedly posting a video of the recent Jaipur murder on a WhatsApp group.
Nandurbar was one of the districts in Maharashtra which witnessed protests against the remarks by former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma about the Prophet Mohammed. The district has been on alert since then and the police have been actively scanning the internet and social media platforms for any potentially inflammatory posts.
According to police officers, the video was shared on a WhatsApp group at around 8 p.m. on Tuesday. It was one of the many videos of the brutal murder of a Hindu tailor from Jaipur, who was allegedly murdered by two Muslim men for his post in support of Sharma. The accused themselves had recorded and circulated the videos, which have now gone viral.
“We were notified about the video and immediately registered an FIR in connection with the matter. We then set about tracing and apprehending the accused,” said police inspector Ravindra Kalamkar, Local Crime Branch, Nandurbar police.
Using technical investigation and with the help of local informants, the police identified the sender of the video as Mahesh Tanwar, a resident of Akkalkuwa. He was subsequently picked up in a joint operation by the LCB and the Akkalkuwa police, and placed under arrest on Wednesday.
Tanwar has been charged with statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill will between classes under the Indian Penal Code, officers said.
