Rajasthan on Edge as Hindu is Beheaded for Supporting BJP Spokeswoman's Slur on Prophet Mohammed

Massive violence erupted during June protests over "insulting" remarks made by Nupur Sharma - a former spokeswoman for the country's leading party, the BJP - against the Prophet Mohammed. Sharma has now been suspended from the party but more than a dozen Muslim countries have lodged diplomatic protests against the remarks.

In a brutal act of slaughter in broad daylight, a Hindu shopkeeper was allegedly beheaded by two Muslims in the historical city of Udaipur in Rajasthan.

The deceased had reportedly shared a social media post supporting Nupur Sharma, the suspended spokeswoman of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who made disparaging remarks about the Prophet Mohammed during a live TV debate on 26 May.

The killers posted a video of the decapitation and threatened to take the lives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nupur Sharma as well.

State administrators have deployed hundreds of security personnel as protests erupt across the western Indian city. Shops in several parts of the city have been closed since the incident.

State chief Ashok Gehlot promised that those who had been involved in the murder would be strictly punished and appealed to citizens to maintain peace and not share any related videos.

"This is a very worrying incident. It is unfortunate and shameful. There are palpable tensions across the country. The atmosphere needs to be fixed. I appeal to Prime Minister Modi and the Home Minister [Amit Shah] to address the nation and calm the atmosphere," Gehlot said.

The state chief, who is from the opposition Congress party, has said that the atmosphere is so tense that whoever, Hindu or Muslim, is in the minority in number in any small town or village feels "insecure and threatened by the majority".

Udaipur Police have launched an inquiry to find the accused.

Sharma's comments prompted protests and complaints from several Muslim countries, including Qatar and Kuwait. Hundreds of people have been arrested across India during public unrest