AHMEDABAD: Tension gripped Dhandhuka town of Ahmedabad district following the killing of a 27-year-old man affiliated to a right-wing organisation on Tuesday. A near total shutdown was observed in the town on Thursday after the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) called for a bandh to protest against the killing. A large posse of policemen led by senior officers have been deployed to avert law and order issues.
According to a police official, the deceased, Kishan Bharwad, was riding pillion on a motorcycle with his friend near Modhwada on Tuesday when two unknown men fired two rounds at him. One bullet hit him, killing him on the spot. A senior police officer said two men have been detained in the case.
“On January 9, an FIR was filed against Bharwad for allegedly criticizing people of a particular religion and sharing videos and photos of decapitation. Bharwad also made objectionable remarks about some religious figures and said in his social media post that people cannot make blasphemous comments against a religion,” said the police officer.
In that particular case, police had arrested Bharwad and later released him on bail.
“Though the matter seemed to have ended with his arrest, some of the witnesses in the case say Bharwad was murdered for his objectionable post. However, we are probing all angles,” said the officer, adding that extra police force has been deployed in the town. Ahmedabad range IG V Chandrasekhar; Ahmedabad SP Virendra Yadav; two deputy superintendents of police, five police inspectors and seven police sub-inspectors have been stationed in Dhandhuka.
The VHP said Kishan Bharwad was killed by people from another religion as they were angry at him for his controversial social media post. Several leaders of the Gujarat VHP reached Dhandhuka to push for the immediate arrest of the culprits, claiming that Bharwad was targeted for the social media post.
“We know that some persons from another faith were angry with Bharwad and had even threatened him recently over that social media post. We want police to catch all the culprits behind the murder of the Hindu youth. They must be tried in a fast-track court. Today’s bandh was successful,” Gujarat VHP spokesperson Hitendrasinh Rajput said.
Meanwhile, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have called for a bandh in Ranpur town of Botad district on Friday. The bandh has been called in protest of the murder of a youth in Dhandhuka on Tuesday.
