Udaipur video aimed at creating 'terror': National Investigation Agency

New Delhi, July 6

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) in its FIR in Udaipur beheading case has mentioned that the accused circulated the video on social media after committing the gruesome murder to promote “enmity on religious ground” and create “panic and terror” in the minds of people at large across the country.

What the FIR says

The Centre is of the opinion that the scheduled offence under the NIA Act has been committed and having regard to its gravity and ramifications on national security, it needs to be probed by the NIA.

These are the charges mentioned in the first information report (FIR), a copy of which is with The Tribune, which was registered by the anti-terror federal probe agency on June 29, a day after the killing of Kanhaiya Lal Teli, a tailor in Udaipur, following an order by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The FIR is based on the complaint of Kanhaiya’s son Yash Teli, a resident of Rajasthan’s Housing Board Colony, regarding the brutal killing of his father by two assailants armed with sharp-edged weapons at his shop “Suprim Tailor”, Bhoot Mahal Maaldas street, Udaipur.

The FIR also mentions that two of his helpers at the shop were also injured by the assailants in the incident.

“The assailants also circulated the video of the murder of Kanhaiya Lal Teli on social media with assertion promoting enmity on religious ground and to create panic and terror among the masses across the country,” reads the FIR.

The brutal killing took place on June 28 (Tuesday) between 3 pm and 3.30 pm, and the information was received at NIA through an order issued by the MHA’s Counter-Terrorism and Counter Radicalisation Division (CTCR) on June 29.

Earlier, the case was registered at Dhanmandi police station in Udaipur district under various sections of the IPC and the UA(P)A relating to the murder of Kanhaiya by two assailants at his shop.

Following the direction from the MHA, the NIA, in accordance with the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, took up the investigation of the case and the agency’s Superintendent of Police Ravi Choudhary, an IPS officer, was directed to take up the investigation as the Chief Investigation Officer.

The NIA re-registered the case under various sections of the IPC and UA(P)A against the accused, who have conspired, planned and committed the heinous murder of Kanhaiya Lal Teli.