Pakistan Dawat-e-Islami link emerges in Udaipur killing

The investigations into the brutal murder of Udaipur-based tailor Kanhaiya Lal have pointed to an international link to his killer, particularly the Karachi-based Dawat-e-Islami.

According to probe, various accused had made frequent foreign trips. Ghous Mohammed, who along with Riyaz Attari had beheaded Kanhaiya, was called by the senior functionaries of Dawat-e-Islami to Pakistan in 2014.

The Karachi-based Dawat-e-Islami’s aim is to spread the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah with the objective of advocating Shariah globally. It has a huge following in Pakistan and is committed to supporting the blasphemy law in the Islamic Republic.

According to investigating officials, Mohammed stayed in Karachi for 40 days. He had visited Saudi Arabia for Umrah in 2013 and 2019.

The other accused have also travelled abroad, including Saudi Arabia.

While Ghous Mohammed was trained by DeI functionaries in Karachi, the second killer Riyaz Attari was trying to infiltrate into the minority cell of Rajasthan’s Bharatiya Janata Party unit. The investigation revealed that Attari, is a follower of Dawat-e-Islami leader Illyas Attar Qadri, was trying to get close to BJP leaders and workers of the Muslim Rashtriya Manch. He had attempted to get close to BJP Minority Morcha member

Irshad Chainwala and Tahir Raza Khan, a BJP worker, with a view to target them.

Attari allegedly carried out recce of BJP establishments and functionaries of the party for this purpose. The BJP has denied any links to Attari over Congress charges of him being linked to the saffron party.

During interrogation, accused Riyaz Atri has not uttered a word about his trying to enter BJP or target the saffron party leaders. The process of transferring two accused to the NIA custody is on. According to internal security experts in Delhi and Rajasthan, neither Atri nor Ghous Mohammad have revealed a larger conspiracy on their part to target BJP leaders.