Murder in Modern Jihad: Politics and Bonding of Hate.
(Chapter 10)
Murder does not require courage, it requires hate to kill a human being. The killing of another person is rooted in dehumanization, rage, or ideological/tribal animosity rather than in genuine bravery. We may argue that hatred, rage, and prejudice are themselves forms of moral weakness or “cowardice of the soul,” but the practitioner display it like their shiny armor. First the facts.
The Slogan, the Spark, and Three Murders
The slogan “Sar Tan Se Juda” means “head separated from the body.” Its full form is “Gustakh-e-Rasool ki ek hi saza, Sar Tan Se Juda,” meaning the only punishment for insulting the Prophet is beheading. It originated in Pakistan, popularised by the Barelvi extremist group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan and its leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi. It gained wider currency after the 2011 assassination of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, who had criticised Pakistan’s blasphemy law.
The slogan travelled to India around 2017 and 2018. Indian courts, including the Allahabad High Court in December 2025, have ruled that chanting it challenges India’s sovereignty and integrity and incites armed rebellion.
The slogan found its deadliest expression in India across three murders spanning 2019 to 2022.
Kamlesh Tiwari, Lucknow, 2019
The first murder took place three years before the slogan became nationally prominent. Kamlesh Tiwari was a Hindu leader and founder of the Hindu Samaj Party. In 2015, he had made sharp public remarks against Prophet Muhammad, in response to inflammatory statements by AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi. The remarks led to large protests and arrest of Tiwari under the National Security Act. He was eventually released. No action was taken against Owaisi.
On October 18, 2019, attackers entered Tiwari’s office in Khurshed Bagh, Lucknow. They slit his throat and attempted to dismember his body before fleeing from the scene. Several people were arrested, including individuals named Rashid and Faizan. The murder was widely understood as revenge for his 2015 remarks. It established a pattern that would repeat, with greater frequency and visibility, three years later.
The Nupur Sharma Controversy, 2022
On May 26, 2022, Nupur Sharma, then a national spokesperson for the BJP, made remarks about Prophet Muhammad during a television debate, citing Islamic texts and hadiths in response to what she described as derogatory comments against Hindu deities. The fallout was immediate and severe. Protests and riots broke out across India. Several Islamic countries, including Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait, summoned Indian ambassadors and demanded action. The BJP suspended Sharma and expelled another leader, Naveen Jindal, who had amplified her remarks. The Supreme Court later criticised her remarks strongly, saying they had set the country on fire. However, subsequently it transferred all cases filed against her to Delhi for her safety.
Sharma has lived under heavy police protection since June 2022 due to credible death threats. She has rarely appeared in public. In March 2026, she stated publicly that she was alive only because of Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Two murders also took place in the following five weeks.
Umesh Kolhe, Amravati, June 21, 2022
Umesh Prahladrao Kolhe was a 54-year-old Hindu chemist who owned Amit Medical Store near Ghantaghar in Amravati, Maharashtra. He had shared a WhatsApp post supporting Nupur Sharma’s remarks in a group called “Black Freedom.”
On the night of June 21, 2022, he was attacked while riding his scooter home after closing his shop. He was repeatedly stabbed and his throat was slit. Eleven people were eventually identified as part of the conspiracy, many of them linked to Tablighi Jamaat. The NIA chargesheet described the murder as a premeditated conspiracy driven by the ideology of “Sar Tan Se Juda.”
Yautja is Friend to None.
What made this case particularly striking was the role of one accused, Yusuf Khan, who was a long-time friend of the victim. Umesh Kolhe’s brother Mahesh publicly stated that Yusuf Khan had known Umesh well and had even attended his funeral. Khan allegedly helped the conspirators identify the victim’s location and movements. The NIA investigated the case under UAPA, treating it as a terror act intended to spread fear among Hindus.
Kanhaiya Lal, Udaipur, June 28, 2022
One week after Umesh Kolhe’s murder, an almost identical crime occurred in Udaipur, Rajasthan, but this time it was filmed and uploaded online.
Kanhaiya Lal Teli was a 32-year-old Hindu tailor and father of two. He had shared a social media post supporting Nupur Sharma’s remarks. On June 28, 2022, two men, Mohammad Riyaz Attari and Mohammad Ghouse Mohammad, entered his tailoring shop pretending to be customers placing a clothing order. Once inside, they attacked him with cleavers, slit his throat, and beheaded him. They filmed the entire act and uploaded the video. In the video, they explicitly cited his social media post and raised the “Sar Tan Se Juda” slogan. Both men were arrested the same day.
Unlike the Amravati case, the killers were strangers to Kanhaiya Lal. They had identified him purely through his online activity. Investigations by the NIA revealed Pakistani phone numbers on Riyaz’s phone and possible ISIS-linked inspiration. The case became the most widely reported and graphic example of the slogan being directly acted upon.
Analysis
The three murders form a connected pattern. A slogan originating in Pakistan and linked to blasphemy violence arrived in India and found expression first in 2019 in Lucknow, then twice within a single week in June 2022 following the Nupur Sharma controversy. In one case the killer was a trusted friend. In another he was a stranger who found the victim through a WhatsApp forward. The method in all three cases was the same: the throat was slit. In all three, the stated motive was punishment for perceived insult to the Prophet.
These were extraordinary cold blooded murders with elaborate planning and preparation. The murder did not happen in a spur of moment. The killers of Tiwari failed in attempt to behead him due to inferior weapon. The killers in Udaipur had improvised the weapon and completed the task three years later. This improvisation is a development ignored by all but it is a serious escalation. Individual pathology does not iterate and improve. Ideology does.
As stated in the beginning, it was not courage but hate which forced the culprits. Their aim was to establish a regime in which any criticism of Islam not permissible. There was no argument that the words spoken were untrue. There was no argument at all. Just the verdict. How is that possible?
The answer to this question and all question raised in this series lies in the history of Islam. More specifically in the Pact of Umar, which shall be subject matter of discussion in next chapter.
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