Kusum Tiwari, the mother of slain Hindu leader Kamlesh Tiwari, has lashed out at an anchor working for ABP News for allegedly trying to turn her son’s murder into a Hindu-Muslim issue. The video of her interview with ABP News anchor Sumit Awasthi has now gone viral on social media.

In the viral video, the grieving mother is heard lashing out at Awasthi during an interview, “I have a question for you. You listen to me first. You raised the Hindu-Muslim issue first, I didn’t. Why are you misleading people? Then you say I want to cause Hindu-Muslim riots. Do you think we are mad?”

A visibly red-faced Awasthi denied giving a communal angle to Kamlesh Tiwari’s murder. The slain Hindu leader’s mother shows remarkable composure as she continues, “Did I talk about the Hindu-Muslim angle? You raised this issue. First you ask me (about Hindu-Muslim issue) then put me in the dock. Stop playing this game. We have learnt about you guys. You guys can’t talk against the government but can only ask questions to common people. Your channel will shut down if you speak against the government.

Another video clip of Awasthi’s interview with the deceased’s mother shows the ABP anchor making a passionate plea to not make Kamlesh Tiwari’s murder a Hindu-Muslim issue without any context. After Kusum Tiwari said that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister was jealous of her slain son and had him killed, Awasthi was heard saying, “I want to tell you with folded hands. Please don’t utters things that will cause tension among people of different faiths. I know that you are disturbed but we don’t want Hindu-Muslim riots.”

Kusum Tiwari was perhaps referring to this part of her interview when she asked Awasthi to not play games over her son’s murder.

#BoycottABPNews RW eco system spinned Hindu-Muslim rhetoric on Kamlesh Tiwari murder [Kusum Tiwari]

Yoji jalta tha mere bete se, yogi ne marwa diya bas! [Sumit Awasthi]

Hum ko hindu-musalman ka jgagda nahi karana [Kusum Tiwari]

Ye khel khelna band karo, Hindu Muslim band karo! pic.twitter.com/rANJ2l0gic — Desi Bhai Einstein | Desh Bhakt ?? (@DesiPoliticks) October 20, 2019

On Saturday, Kamlesh Tiwari’s son had said that his family had no faith in the state government as he demanded an NIA probe into his father’s murder. Tiwari too had criticised the RSS for BJP for hatching his murder plot. In a viral video, Kamlesh Tiwari is heard saying, “When a functionary of RSS or BJP is killed, I don’t remain quiet thinking that the deceased is from the Sangh or the BJP. I treat them as Hindu even though they (BJP and RSS) send me to jail. These haramkhor people (from the RSS and the BJP) are always after me. They hatch my murder plot. My security was removed soon after the Yogi government came.”

Kamlesh Tiwari in his last video slammed the BJP, RSS and UP Govt for not protecting him enough.#KamleshTiwariMurder#पैगंबर_आतंकी_है #पै_GAY_म्बर #पैगम्बर_आतंकी_है pic.twitter.com/7aKGgEtW9W — आर्य Pulkit Fauzdar (@FauzdarPulkit) October 19, 2019

Kamlesh Tiwari was killed in Lucknow on Friday. The Uttar Pradesh Polcie had first blamed personal enmity for his murder but later said that Tiwari’s murder was an act of revenge for his statements made against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in 2015.