2 accused in Tiwari murder case brought to Lucknow

The main accused in the Kamlesh Tiwari murder case were brought to Lucknow around midnight on Wednesday.

The accused Moinuddin and Ashfaq who had been arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Tuesday night will be interrogated and could be produced in court on Friday when their transit remand ends.

Meanwhile, ATS sources said that the accused were caught when the police intercepted a conversation between one of the accused Ashfaq and his wife.

In the conversation, the wife is repeatedly asking Ashfaq to return home. His father also can be heard trying to assure him to return home, saying, 'all will be processed'.

Sources said that a cleric, Maulana Mohsin Sheikh, who was arrested earlier in a joint operation by Gujarat ATS and Uttar Pradesh police along with Faizan and Rashid Pathan, had told the accused that the murder of the Hindu Samaj Party chief was justified after his remarks against Prophet Mohammed.

Moinuddin, one of the main accused, has told the ATS that when Ashfaq took the knife out to slit Kamlesh Tiwari's throat, Hindu Samaj Party leader Kamlesh Tiwari shouted for help.

Ashfaq tried to smother him and attacked him with the knife. Moinuddin said that Ashfaq Hussain then took out a gun and fired. The bullet missed Kamlesh Tiwari and instead hit Moinuddin's fingers.

( With inputs from IANS )