Indian police made fresh arrests in the case of the execution of a Hindu tailor in Rajasthan, a murder that stoked unease between the Hindu majority and Muslim minority, leading to a clampdown on protests and the internet to prevent tensions from escalating.

Three senior police officials said on Saturday that two Muslim men based in the northwestern state were held for allegedly planning the tailor'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.

Kumar said internet services were being gradually restored and security forces continued to be on alert following the murder, allegedly carried out by two Muslim men now under arrest who filmed the act and posted it online.

The alleged perpetrators said the act was in response to the victim's support for a BJP politician Nupur Sharma's derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

Read: The unusual allies of Hindutva

The victim, Kanhaiya Lal Teli, had allegedly put up a social media post supporting the former spokesperson for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party who made anti-Islam comments in May.

On Friday, judges from the Supreme Court of India stated Sharma must apologise to the whole nation after the remarks intensified religious fault lines in India, angered Muslim nations and triggered diplomatic strains.

In India, at least two demonstrators were killed in police fire during protests against Sharma's comments.

Read: Houses razed as India steps up crackdown to stop unrest

In Afghanistan, militant group Islamic State last month claimed an attack on a Sikh temple that killed at least two people and injured seven was in response to insults levelled at Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in India.

Police in New Delhi arrested journalist Mohammed Zubair, a vocal critic of the Modi government, who had helped draw attention to Sharma's remarks through his fact-checking website Alt News and on social media.

The National Investigative Agency (NIA) — India's top anti-terrorism agency — said they were carrying out a probe in the Hindu tailor's killing.

A senior NIA official in New Delhi said they were questioning Muslims linked with the four suspects in Udaipur to identify whether they had links with militant networks.

Muslims living about 3 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 strictures.

Opinion

Editorial

Return to the helm
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Return to the helm

With Nawaz Sharif as PML-N president, will we see more grievances being aired?
Unvaxxed & vulnerable
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Unvaxxed & vulnerable

Even deadly mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue and malaria have vaccines, but they are virtually unheard of in Pakistan.
Gaza’s hell
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Gaza’s hell

Perhaps Western ‘statesmen’ may moderate their policies if a significant percentage of voters punish them at the ballot box.
Missing links
Updated 27 Apr, 2024

Missing links

As the past decades have shown, the country has not been made more secure by ‘disappearing’ people suspected of wrongdoing.
Freedom to report?
27 Apr, 2024

Freedom to report?

AN accountability court has barred former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife from criticising the establishment...
After Bismah
27 Apr, 2024

After Bismah

BISMAH Maroof’s contribution to Pakistan cricket extends beyond the field. The 32-year old, Pakistan’s...