A tableau of Regar in Ram Navami expo

Hindu devotees took out a tableau of Shambhu Lal Regar – accused of hacking a Muslim man to death – during the Ram Navmi procession in Jodhpur on Sunday, pictures on social media revealed.

Regar, who is in judicial custody, allegedly hacked Mohammed Afrazul, a migrant labourer from West Bengal, to death before burning the body in Rajsamand in last December, and got his nephew to vodeo-record the act and upload it on social media.

The crime sparked national outrage and the chief ministers of both Rajasthan and West Bengal condemned the incident.

In the pictures of the tableau, a man who bears striking resemblance to Regar is seen perched on a throne with an axe in his hand. Regar used an axe to kill Afrazul. The man is also wearing clothes similar to what Regar was wearing in the videos.

One banner bears the photo of the organizer Hari Singh Panwar, and hail Regar as ‘the one who curbed love jihad’.

“I just wanted to express my regard for Regar. His commitment towards Hinduism inspired me,” said Panwar, co-treasurer of Shiv Sena’s Jodhpur chapter.

Panwar did not comment on the court case, but said “Regar has awakened among Hindus devotion for their faith and also made them aware about love jihad. A law must be brought to end love jihad, just like the law against triple talaq.”

Amandeep Singh, deputy commissioner of police, Jodhpur East, said the police learnt of the tableau through media reports but haven’t received any complaint yet. “If we receive one, we’ll act accordingly,” he said.

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