Rinku Sharma, a resident of Delhi'sMangolpuri area, was allegedly stabbed and killed by four local residents in which three are Muslims as identified.[4][5]
Investigation
The Delhi Police arrested nine individuals associated with Sharma's death. Deen Mohd (40), Dilshan (22), Fayaiz (21) and Faizan (21), all residents of Mangolapuri, were arrested by a team of the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch. On 12 February, the Delhi Police presented a timeline of the events on 10 February that preceded the killing, alleging that Sharma was stabbed at a birthday party owing to a dispute over the closure of a friend's restaurant.[6] Sharma's family responded by asserting that the alleged killers were involved with a previous dispute related Sharma's participation in the Bajrang Dal, the Vishva Hindu Parishad, and a fundraiser for the Ram Mandir temple at Ayodhya. As of 22 February, a total of 9 people were arrested by the Delhi Police after a review of closed-circuit television footage.[7] The case was transferred to the police department's Crime Branch.[8]
Responses
After Sharma's death, the Hindu nationalist organisation Vishva Hindu Parishad claimed that Sharma was killed for his participation in a fundraiser for the Ram Mandir temple.[9] Sharma's family, on 12 February, also alleged that the killing was motivated by the fundraiser and claimed that Sharma was linked to both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh; Sharma's brother stated that Sharma was a member of the Bajrang Dal.[10] The Delhi Police responded to the allegations via Twitter on 12 February, reasserting that the killing was motivated by the birthday party dispute and stating that "Any other motive alluded to this incident is factually wrong."[11] On 16 February, the BJP stated that it would provide a total of ₹1 crore (US$120,000) of financial aid to Sharma's family by 26 February.[12]
