On July 6, the Uttar Pradesh government initiated action against schools operated by Dawat-e-Islami in Pilibhit after allegedly being linked to the murder of Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal from Udaipur by Islamists for alleged post supporting Nupur Sharma.

The administration has shut down all schools run by Dawat-e-Islami in Pilibhit. Reports suggest that the Pilibhit administration was closely monitoring the organization Dawat-e-Islami in connection to the case.

Dawat-e-Islami is based in Karachi in Pakistan, and it has been found that the killers of Kanhaiya Lal have links with the group. It was found that the organization was collecting funds using donation boxes placed all over the city. Hundreds of donation boxes were placed at various shops in the town, which have been removed now. It is suspected that the money collected through these boxes was used for terror funding purposes.

Islamic leader and Pilibhit’s Kazi Maulana Jartaab Raza Khan has also opposed operations being run by Dawat-e-Islami in the district. In a statement, Khan said the organization collects donations using over 1,000 piggy banks across districts. He added no one knows where the collected donations are being used and alleged it could be used against the country.

Superintendent of Police Dinesh P constituted a team and initiated search operations at the schools run by Dawat-e-Islami. During the investigation, the computers at the schools were checked by the police. The Police also found that the schools were being run without required permissions and documentation, upon which the Block Education Officer issued orders to close the school within three days.

Speaking to the media, SP Dinesh P said that the LIU team is investigating the case with a group of intellectuals. So far, nothing incriminating was found during the investigation, but the administration and Police are on high alert.

The link between Kanhaiya Lal’s murder and Dawat-e-Islami

On June 28, a Hindu tailor named Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered by two Islamists who posed as his customers and went to his shop where he was killed. The killers alleged they murdered him over a social media post-Kanhaiya had put up supporting BJP’s former spokesperson Nupur Sharma. Following their arrest, it was found that they were possibly linked to the Pakistan-based organization Dawat-e-Islami. The organization is also in different locations in India, including Pilibhit and Uttar Pradesh.

Reportedly, one of the killers, Ghous Mohammed, had visited Dawat-e-Islami in Pakistan in 2014 at the invitation of senior functionaries of the organization. He had stayed in Karachi for over a month, during which period he received training.

The other killer Riyaz Attari had also traveled abroad, and reportedly he was trying to infiltrate the BJP, including the minority cell of the party. He was trying to get close to BJP leaders and workers of the Muslim Rashtriya Manch. He had attempted to get close to BJP Minority Morcha members to target them.

How Dawat-e-Islami started in India

As per reports, a delegation of Ulema from Pakistan visited India in 1989. They initiated talks to open a branch of Dawat-e-Islami in India. The Organization has its headquarters in Delhi and Mumbai. Using Tablighi Jamaat as an example, it was decided by then-members of Dawat-e-Islami to start a similar organization in India. Dawat-e-Islami organizes an annual Ijtima (event) to join more people. A large number of people attend these events every year.