According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) FIR, Umesh Kolhe, a pharmacist from Maharashtra who lived in Amravati, was brutally murdered on June 21 as part of a “bigger conspiracy by a gang of persons” who planned to incite fear among some Indians and foster animosity based on religion. The FIR further claims that Kolhe’s murder was committed as part of a plot to “terrorise a portion of the Indian people and the crime may have national and international links.”
Umesh Pralhadrao Kolhe, a 54-year-old pharmacist from Amravati, was killed by a hacksaw on June 21 after posting on Facebook in favour of former BJP politician Nupur Sharma.
Earlier on July 2, the NIA re-registered the case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967 and Sections 16, 18 and 20 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
According to the FIR, the City Kotwali Police Station in Amravati, Maharashtra, received information regarding the savage knife murder of Kolhe on June 22 and brought a case against three unnamed defendants. Sanket Umesh Kolhe, the deceased’s son, filed a complaint, leading to the case’s registration.
Kolhe, a resident of Amravati’s Ghanashyam Nagar neighbourhood, was slain on June 21 between 10 and 10.30 p.m. while he was making his way home.
Following this, Union Home Minister Amit Shah ordered the NIA to take over the matter, and a directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs was issued in response (MHA).
