Indian police make more arrests in tailor's murder that sparked tensions

Indian police have made fresh arrests in the murder of a tailor in the northwestern Rajasthan state.

Two Muslim men are already under arrest for the Hindu man's murder that sparked tensions. They filmed the act and posted it online, and said it had been a response to the victim's support for a politician's  derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad.

Three senior police officials said on Saturday that two more Muslim men based in Rajasthan were held for planning Kanhaiya Lal Teli's murder last week in his shop in Udaipur, a popular tourist destination dotted with lakes and palace hotels.

"We have now arrested the two masterminds, and previously we had arrested two men who committed the heinous crime," said Prafulla Kumar, a senior police official based in Udaipur.

The incident had prompted clampdown on protests and the internet to prevent them from escalating. Kumar said internet services was being gradually restored, and security forces continued to be on alert following the murder.

The National Investigative Agency (NIA)—India's top anti-terrorism agency—said it was carrying out a probe into Teli's killing.

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Muslim body condemns killing

Muslims living about three kilometres from the tailor's shop where the victim was killed said they felt nervous and feared a social and economic boycott by powerful Hindus residing in Udaipur.

"I know what has been done is barbaric, but the community should not be held responsible for the deed of two people," said Mohammad Farukh, a medical representative living in a Muslim-dominated area of the city.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board called the incident "highly condemnable", adding that it was against both Indian law and Islamic principles.

The victim had allegedly made a social media post supporting a former spokesperson for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party who made anti-Muslim comments in May.

Judges from the Supreme Court of India said on Friday that the ex-spokesperson, Nupur Sharma, must apologise to the whole nation after her remarks intensified religious fault lines in India, angered Muslim nations and triggered diplomatic strains.

In India, at least two demonstrators were shot and killed by police during protests against Sharma's comments.

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