Murder of Umesh Kolhe

The murder of Umesh Kolhe, a pharmacist from Amravati in the state of Maharashtra in India, was carried out by two men by stabbing on 21 June 2022. The police arrested several people, who according to them, admitted to killing Kolhe for what he posted about Nupur Sharma, who was involved in the 2022 Prophet remarks row. The police released CCTV footage that showed the assailants following Kolhe around 10 p.m. on June 21. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had take over the probe of the killing to assess any possible links to the Udaipur murder.

Murder
On June 21, 2022, pharmacist Umesh Prahladrao Kolhe was stabbed to death while returning home on his scooter after closing his pharmacy ‘Amit Medical Store’ near Ghantaghar in Shyam chowk area of Amravati, Maharashtra. Kolhe's son Sanket and his wife Vaishnavi were accompanying him on another scooter. Kolhe was taken to a nearby hospital but died while receiving medical treatment.

Investigation
The police arrested seven men, including prime accused Irfan Khan, for Kolhe's murder all of whom are residents of Amravati. The police was able to locate the knife allegedly used to kill Kolhe. Investigators are also investigating his social media post supporting BJP’s Nupur Sharma who had made controversial comments about Muhammad.