Indian Police Arrest Suspect In Brutal Video Murder

Indian police on Thursday arrested a Hindu man over the murder of a Muslim labourer after identifying him from a video of the brutal killing that went viral and has sparked widespread outrage

New Delhi, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 07th Dec, 2017 ) :Indian police on Thursday arrested a Hindu man over the murder of a Muslim labourer after identifying him from a video of the brutal killing that went viral and has sparked widespread outrage.

The footage shows a man hitting labourer Afrazul Khan with a pickaxe and a machete before pouring kerosene over his body and setting it alight. Afterwards the attacker can be heard warning against so-called "love jihad", a term used by religious radicals in India to accuse Muslims of marrying Hindu women in order to convert them.

The killing occurred in western Rajasthan state, which has seen a series of vigilante attacks on Muslims in recent months.

Most of the attacks have been related to the transporting of cows, which Hindus consider sacred, by so-called "cow protection" groups who roam highways inspecting livestock trucks.

The state's police chief O. P. Galhotra told reporters the suspect had been charged with murder, calling it a "brutal crime". Police have also detained the suspect's 14-year-old nephew, who they say recorded the killing.

Religious conversion has become a flashpoint issue for Hindu nationalists in recent years. Last month, thousands of copies of a controversial booklet were distributed to students at an event in Rajasthan warning Hindu girls of "love jihad".