Amravati chemist killing: Court sends seven accused to NIA custody till July 15

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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday told a special court that the killing of 54-year-old chemist Umesh Kolhe in Amravati was “not just a murder” but prima facie an act to “terrorise people”.
Seven men booked for Kolhe’s murder have also been charged under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). After the case was transferred to the NIA earlier this week, the central agency produced the men before a Mumbai special court on Thursday. The court sent Irfan Khan (35), Yusuf Khan (44), Muddassir Shaikh (22), Abdul Taufiq Taslim (24), Shahrukh Pathan (25), Shoaib Khan (22) and Atib Rashid (22) to NIA custody till July 15.
Kolhe was murdered on June 21 while he was on his way home after closing his shop. The Maharashtra Police, which was initially investigating the case, had said that Kolhe was killed allegedly for a social media post supporting former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who had made controversial comments against the Prophet in a TV debate.
The NIA special public prosecutor told the court that the incident was a “deep-rooted conspiracy” and the probe was not limited to Amravati. The prosecutor added that Kolhe’s wife and son, who were accompanying him on another scooter on the night of the incident, had said that the reason behind the murder was not any old enmity.
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Claiming that the offence was committed to “terrorise people”, the prosecutor said that the NIA probe showed prima facie involvement of the seven men in the terror case. The agency said that the Union government was also in the know of the case, as it was a serious offence, and that a similar incident had taken place elsewhere.
The NIA has also taken over the probe into the killing of a tailor in Udaipur for allegedly sharing remarks made by Nupur Sharma.
In the Amravati probe, the NIA has invoked charges of the anti-terror law, including sections 16 (punishment for terrorist act), 18 (punishment for conspiracy) and 20 (punishment for being member of terrorist gang or organisation) of the UAPA.
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