Screenshots from Mohammed Afrazul’s murder video Screenshots from Mohammed Afrazul’s murder video

Three days after he murdered migrant labourer Mohammed Afrazul and circulated videos of the killing, Shambhulal Regar, 36, is being hailed in messages doing the rounds of some WhatsApp groups here, including one in which BJP MP from Rajsamand Hariom Singh Rathore and MLA Kiran Maheshwari are members.

The WhatsApp group, ‘Swachh Rajsamand, Swachh Bharat’, has been created by Prem Mali, who claims he is a BJP “booth vistarak” (booth-level worker) in Rajsamand.

“Love jihadiyon sawdhaan, jaag utha hai Shambhu Lal, Jai Shri Ram (Love jihadis beware, Shambhu Lal has awakened, Jai Shri Ram),” reads a message on the group.

“Shambhu ka case Sukhdev ladega, aur Shambhu ko nyay dilayega, vakeel ho toh aap jaisa, Jai Mewar, Jai Mavli. Nihshulk ladenge, Vakeel Sukhdev Singh Ujjwal Mavli (Sukhdev will fight Shambhu’s case and get him justice. A lawyer should be like you. Jai Mewar, Jai Mavli. Will fight free of cost, Advocate Sukhdev Singh Ujjwal Mavli),” reads another post. Rajasthan hacking: ‘My youngest daughter wakes up screaming. Nobody kills even an animal in that manner’

Sukhdev Singh Ujjwal is a lawyer from Mavli in Udaipur district. When contacted, he denied any plans to take up Regar’s case. “I have no idea about this message circulating on social media. I have no plans to defend Regar, I am already stuck with a lot of work. I don’t know how this came on social media… Maybe some client did it,” he said.

Rathore, the local MP, said he was not aware about the messages. “I am ignorant about this sharing of content on social media in support of Regar. I am not active on WhatsApp and it’s been a long time since I last switched on the app,” he said, adding that it was not possible for an MP to follow each and every WhatsApp group.

“There are thousands of people connected in WhatsApp, how am I concerned with this? Have I reported on anything? It’s clear now that the accused was a man with perverted mentality and was mentally disturbed,” said Maheshwari, the local MLA who is also the state higher education minister.

Mali, when contacted, said: “What can I say on this? It’s the personal opinion of the people who shared these messages… everyone has different beliefs.”

Asked if Mali was a party member, Mahendra Gehlot, BJP mandal president, Rajsamand, said, “I will have to check for the exact membership details, but he does come to our party programmes regularly.”

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