Kamlesh Tiwari Murder: Maulana Behind Rs 51 Lakh Bounty Detained In UP's Bijnor

Maulana Anwarul Haq, the Muslim cleric who had announced a Rs 51-lakh bounty for beheading former Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari, was detained in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor. Previously, there were reports that teh Maulana was arrested. However, a senior police official clarified that Maulana has not been arrested. Avinash Chandra, ADG Bareilly Zone clarifies, "Maulana Anwarul Haq has not been arrested, investigation still underway". The development came a day after Tiwari was murdered by unidentified assailants in Lucknow on Friday. In her police complaint, Tiwari’s wife had alleged that two Maulanas from Bijnor had threatened to kill her husband in 2016. The Lucknow Police had filed an FIR on basis of the complaint. In a related development, the ATS has arrested seven suspects in connection with the murder from Gujarat’s Surat. The men were rounded up after a CCTV footage showed the very place from where the mithai box was purchased. It was the same box that was used to carry the weapons of murder on the fateful day. The Lucknow Police had found the mithai box from the site of the crime.

Meanwhile, a lesser-known outfit called the Al-Hind Brigade claimed responsibility late on Friday night for Tiwari’s murder, though the authenticity of the claim could not immediately be verified. "We at Al-Hind Brigade claim the responsibility for killing Kamlesh Tiwari, who tried to defame Islam and Muslims. More to come," the outfit said in a WhatsApp message that was widely circulated. The message, which also carried a photograph Tiwari, said, "Kamlesh Tiwari was a nuisance and whosoever points fingers towards Islam and Muslims, will met same end. Al-Hind Brigade takes the responsibility. Get ready to see more. The war has begun."

Two police constables were deployed for his security but none was present when the incident took place, according to the reports. While one was allegedly not coming to duty for the last two days, another constable was asleep when the attackers slit Tiwari’s throat and stabbed multiple times, leaving him critically injured. He was immediately rushed to the trauma center but succumbed to injuries during treatment. Some reports also suggest that Tiwari was shot as well. Tiwari who used to claim to be the president of Hindu Mahasabha had formed his own Hindu Samaj Party after rift with the eladerof Mahasabha's another faction Chakrapani. He had allegedly distributed pamphlets with derogatory remarks on Prophet Muhammad in Deoband, Saharanpur in 2015.