The Rajasthan Police on Monday charged the accused in the Rajsamand hacking case with disrupting religious harmony and criminal conspiracy, in addition to the charges of murder and destruction of evidence already against him, senior police officials told Scroll.in.
A man identified as Shambhulal Regar was arrested on December 7 for hacking Mohammad Afrazul, a labourer from West Bengal, and setting him on fire in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand town the previous day. His nephew was detained for allegedly shooting videos of the gruesome act, in which Regar can be heard ranting against Muslims.
He said he murdered Afrazul to save a Hindu woman from love jihad – a term Hindutva groups often use to accuse Muslim men of entrapping Hindu women on the pretext of love to eventually convert them to Islam. But the Rajasthan Police refuted his allegations.
On Sunday, Regar was produced before a court, which extended his police custody by another 10 days. Investigators also charged him with imputations prejudicial to national integration, insulting religious beliefs and statement conducing public mischief. These charges were added under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. He was booked under the Information Technology Act, as well.
Regar’s 14-year-old nephew was booked for criminal conspiracy and charges under the Information Technology Act, the officials told Scroll.in.
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