‘Panditji’ kept a low profile, say neighbours
LUCKNOW: Hindu outfit leader Kamlesh Tiwari was famous as soft spoken ‘pandit ji’ among his neighbours. They also knew him as one who was very fond of chewing ‘pan masala’ and kept a low profile.
“He used to meet people at his residence and would rarely discuss his party matters with us. He never asked us to either join his party or give some help,” said Sunny Sonkar, a local general store owner standing outside Tiwari’s house.
Manish Tiwari, another local who lives in the same locality, met Kamlesh a few hours before the incident.
“He was very reserved and avoided getting into long conversation. On Friday, he met me outside a ‘paan’ shop in the morning asked me about my work before leaving,” he said.
Some other residents of the locality also said Tiwari was rarely seen outside his house and was a person who kept to himself.
However, Tiwari was very active on social media platform Facebook and tweeted frequently. The posts revolved around themes like Hindus getting targeted, the current government not safeguarding their rights and the like.
Unlike his modest behaviour, Tiwari used abuses and slangs in his posts. “His online posts were extremist and those who planned his murder used his posts to radicalise his murderers,” said a senior police official.
While Tiwari was arrested in 1998 for allegedly announcing to construct a temple for Nathuram Godse, he was again in the headlines in 2015 for his derogatory comment on Muslim community for which he was arrested and booked under the National Security Act. After being released from prison in 2016, he became more aggressive online while remaining the quiet Panditji in his neighbourhood.