Rajasthan: Man attacks labourer with axe, burns him alive over 'love jihad'
Jaipur: The Rajasthan Police has arrested a man for allegedly attacking a labourer from West Bengal with an axe and burning him alive over a "love jihad" incident. The murder that took place in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan was caught on camera.
The accused, identified as Shambhu Nath Raigar, had allegedly attacked one Afrazul alias Bhuttu with an axe then burned him alive. He later circulated the video on WhatsApp, claiming that he did it to take revenge for his sister.
The incident took place just 700 meters from the district collectorate in Rajsamand.
The victim, 50-year-old a labourer, was a native of Sayyedpur Kalichak in Malda district of West Bengal.
The Rajasthan government on Thursday set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the killing and to find out if there was any communal angle to it.
"It is shocking how he killed the man and made a video of it. Accused has been arrested and an SIT has been set up for investigation in the case," state Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said.
Inspector General Anand Srivastava of Udaipur Range has been camping in Rajsamand to keep an eye on the law and order situation. Internet services have also been suspended in the district to avoid circulation of the video.
Body found on accused person’s field
On Thursday, somebody spotted the half-burnt body of the victim in Raigar’s field on Dev heritage road and informed the police.
Police found a motorcycle, scooty, axe, bottle of petrol and a half-burnt Aadhaar card on the spot. However, Afrazul’s identity remained unknown till the video surfaced on social media.
In the video, Raigar is seen striking Afrazul with an axe, dousing him with petrol and setting him ablaze before fleeing the scene. In the video, Afrazul was seen crying for help even as Raigar attacks him with an axe and then burns him alive.
Raigar had allegedly brought along a friend with him to record the video of the incident.
The accused said to have taken the victim to the spot in his agricultural farm on pretext of work. In the video, there is also a long speech on ‘love Jihad’ and patriotism.
There was another video of Raigar, in which he admitted to committing the crime and mentioned that he will surrender.
