A special court in Mumbai on Friday, July 15, 2022, extended the National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody of seven men till July 22 in connection with the murder of a pharmacist who allegedly shared a social media post in support of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. Ms. Sharma in May had made objectionable remarks on the Prophet on national television that sparked an outrage on the national and international level.
On July 7, all the accused were produced before the special court and were sent to NIA custody till Friday.
Also read: Ground Zero | A pharmacist, a tailor and the Prophet remarks row
Advocate Sharif Shaikh and advocate Ali Kaashif Khan Deshmukh appearing for the accused said no terrorist organisation is involved in the killing.
On June 21, Umesh Kolhe, 54, was allegedly killed by two motorcycle-borne men who slit his throat, for supporting the comments made by Ms. Sharma on social media, in Amravati.
A week later on June 28, two men beheaded a 40-year-old tailor in broad daylight at his shop in a market in Rajasthan’s Udaipur city
On July 2, the Maharashtra Police arrested seven people before the case was taken over by the NIA.
The central agency on July 6 conducted raids at 13 locations across Maharashtra in connection with Kolhe's murder. The agency is reported to have recovered incriminating materials such as pamphlets spreading hate messages, knives, mobile phones, SIM cards, and memory cards among others.
The accused are - Muddasir Ahmed alias Sonu Raza Shaikh (22), Shahrukh Pathan alias Badshah Hidayat Khan (25), Nanu alias Abdul Taufiq (24), Atib Rashid Adil (22), Shoaib alias Bhurya Khan, Yusuf Khan Bahadur Khan (44), and Shaikh Irfan Shaikh Rahim (32).
