New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal stirred a controversy on Sunday with his remarks on the murder of an Apple employee in Lucknow, inviting a scathing reply from the wife of the deceased.

Tweeting a day after Vivek Tiwari was shot dead by a constable of the UP Police, Kejriwal raked up the Apple sales manager religion while taking a dig at the BJP.

In another tweet, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief said the BJP “does not protect the interests of Hindus”.

No. Even though Vivek Tiwari was a Hindu. BJP does not protect the interests of Hindus. https://t.co/ecnhTK2cd8 — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) September 30, 2018

Hitting back at Kejriwal, Tiwari’s widow Kalpana said the Delhi CM should not have posted the tweet. “He does not know what I am going through. No politics should be played over my husband’s death. Please do not connect everything to faith and religion,” she said.

Tiwari was shot dead in the wee hours of Saturday by a constable when he allegedly refused to stop his car Lucknow's posh Gomti Nagar neighbourhood. Two constables were arrested on the basis of an FIR lodged by the deceased’s colleague, who was travelling with him.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has asked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to take effective action, while the opposition parties have demanded the CM’s resignation. Hours after the 1:30 am shooting, Uttar Pradesh police chief OP Singh called it a criminal act and said the two constables will be dismissed from service.

The police have set up a special investigation team (SIT). In Gorakhpur, Adityanath said the guilty will not be spared and, if needed, the CBI will be asked to probe.

Senior Superintendent of Police Kalanidhi Naithani said the two policemen on patrol duty had asked Tiwari to stop the SUV, which had hit their motorcycle and injured them. Constable Prashant Chaudhary noticed "suspicious activity" and opened fire when the man allegedly tried to speed away. A bullet pierced the windscreen as the car rammed into a pillar, police said.

Tiwari’s colleague Sana Khan told reporters that the constables came from the front on their motorcycle, and tried to force Tiwari to stop. "Sir did not stop the car and when we tried to move ahead, it hit the motorcycle, she said. But the constables had got down by then, she added, saying one of them then opened fire.

Tiwari is survived by his wife and two children.