Stones were hurled at police during a protest; hundreds marched through the city of Udaipur in Rajasthan state on Thursday to condemn the killing of a Hindu tailor earlier this week.
The protesters, belonging to various Hindu groups, were carrying saffron flags and chanting slogans to demand justice for the deceased man.
Police resorted to firing shots in the air and baton charges after reportedly being pelted with stones during the protest.
On Thursday, the procession, which later turned violent, was taken out despite the Rajasthan government imposing a curfew in all districts for next one month. Tensions peaked as the protesters walked near the area where the murder had taken place. The police moved in and dispersed the agitated crowd, reported NDTV news site.
Rajasthan State Chief Ashok Gehlot has appealed to people to maintain peace, saying that “no criminal will be spared irrespective of any religion or community.”
Meanwhile, scores of security personnel have been deployed in view of the rising protest and tensions in Udaipur after the arrest of two men for beheading Kanhaiya Lal. The killers - Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad - could be linked with Pakistan-based group Dawat-e-Islami; one of them visited Karachi, Pakistan in 2014.
According to Rajasthan Police Chief M.L. Lather, the tailor's murder was a planned act of terror and more people could have been involved.
"The main accused were in touch with the organization Dawat-e-Islami. One of them also went to Karachi in Pakistan in 2014 to meet the organization. We are considering it an act of terror," Lather said.
Various politicians throughout the country and prominent Islamic preachers have condemned the beheading.
Maulana Ahmed Siddiqui, a Muslim cleric based in Udaipur, said: "The incident has shocked followers of Islam, the heinous act committed by two men is absolutely un-Islamic."
Meanwhile, a city administrator in Udaipur, Bhawarlal Thoda has revealed that days before Kanhaiya Lal's murder, he had been detained over a social media post that he made in support of former BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma. The comment was traced to Lal's mobile telephone.
Later, on 15 June, Lal reported to police that he was being threatened, but no security was provided to him.
The government authorities have suspended internet services in Udaipur to stop the disturbing video of Lal's beheading from being circulated in public. Police personnel were deployed and large public congregations were prohibited to prevent religious unrest from escalating.
Following the killing, several dozen people in New Delhi associated with right-wing groups including the Hindu group Bajrang Dal protested and demanded that the culprits be hanged.
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