Kamlesh Tiwari lost his life in gruesome murder in Lucknow on Friday. A leader of the Hindu Samaj Party, Kamlesh Tiwari first made headlines when he allegedly made objectionable remarks against Prophet Muhammad. The incident had created a huge uproar and resulted in massive protests by Muslims across the country. He had also posted inflammatory comments on social media. Saharanpur and Deoband were on the boil after Kamlesh Tiwari's remarks. The national highway was blocked.
A police officer suffered injuries during the clashes between the mob and the police. The matter cooled down only after Tiwari was arrested. An FIR was lodged against him under Sections 153-A (promoting enmity between groups on ground of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code. The police booked him under the National Security Act (NSA) and he spent a year in jail. In 2016, the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court quashed the NSA against him and he was released on bail.
Kamlesh Tiwari was the self-proclaimed president of the All India Hindu Mahasabha and his claim was keenly contested on several occasions by the Mahasabha itself.
In 2017, Kamlesh Tiwari floated his own Hindu Samaj Party. He announced a temple dedicated to Nathuram Godse, however, the project never took off.
In 2002, Tiwari made an unsuccessful attempt to enter electoral politics in 2012 when he contested the assembly election from Lucknow and lost.
On Friday, Kamlesh Tiwari was shot dead in broad daylight at his office in Khurshid Bagh office. Saffron-clad men barged into his office carrying a box of sweets but instead pulled out a gun to open fire on Tiwari.
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(With IANS inputs)
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