Vivek Tiwari's Death: Apple executive killed despite being Hindu, says Arvind Kejriwal, widow hits back

A day after an Apple executive was shot dead by a UP police constable in Lucknow, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said Vivek Tiwari was killed despite being a Hindu, even as the victims’s wife asked politicians not to give a religious twist to the incident. 

"No. Even though Vivek Tiwari was a Hindu. BJP does not protect the interests of Hindus,” Kejriwal tweeted in response to a tweet that asked if there would be a proper investigation into the incident.

In another tweet, Kejriwal said: “Vivek Tiwari was a Hindu, right? Then why was he killed? BJP leaders rape Hindu girls across the country? Don’t be blindfolded. The BJP doesn’t favour Hindus. If they have to murder all Hindus for power, they won’t think twice.”

विवेक तिवारी तो हिंदू था? फिर उसको इन्होंने क्यों मारा? भाजपा के नेता पूरे देश में हिंदू लड़कियों का रेप करते घूमते हैं?

अपनी आँखों से पर्दा हटाइए। भाजपा हिंदुओं की हितैषी नहीं है। सत्ता पाने के लिए अगर इन्हें सारे हिंदुओं का क़त्ल करना पड़े तो ये दो मिनट नहीं सोचेंगे https://t.co/A2LhxrVNpv

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 30, 2018

Apple executive Vivek Tiwari, travelling with his colleague Sana Khan, was shot dead early on Saturday morning in Lucknow's posh Gomti Nagar neighbourhood.  

Uttar Pradesh police chief OP Singh condemned the shooting and said the shooting in Lucknow was a criminal case, and added that no policeman is permitted to gun down anybody. He asserted that the two constables will be dismissed from service.

At a press conference, Tiwari’s widow Kalpana said Kejriwal should not have given a religious twist to the incident. “He does not know what I am going through. No politics should be played over my husband’s death. Please do not connect everything to faith and religion,” The Indian Express quoted her as saying. Kalpana also said the Narendra Modi government had never encouraged casteism and every section of the society had been looked after.

Singh said the constables who were on a bike intercepted the car of Tiwari, 38, for checking, but he did not stop and tried to ram the car into their bike. Constable Prashant chaudhary claimed he had fired in self-defence. The two constables were arrested on the basis of an FIR lodged by Sana Khan.

The police have set up a special investigation team (SIT). In Gorakhpur, Adityanath said if needed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will be asked to probe. Singh said he has reprimanded police personnel to "change their attitude and revive image amongst masses".

(With PTI inputs)