Mohsin Sadiq Shaikh, a young software professional was killed on his way home from dinner in Pune.
The Maharashtra government says it has identified those responsible for posting morphed photos of iconic leaders on Facebook which triggered violence last week and again this weekend.
Home Minister RR Patil has promised arrests soon, though police officers seem less confident.
Last week, a 28-year-old Muslim IT worker was beaten to death by a mob after offensive images of Maratha warrior king Shivaji and Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray were circulated on Facebook and WhatsApp.
This weekend, doctored photos of Dr BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, were circulated on Facebook and WhatsApp. Some shops remained closed yesterday and buses were pelted with stones in parts of the state. (
Read: Pune Tense After Facebook Posts About Dr Ambedkar)
Home Minister Patil today said that the "Facebook case" has been cracked and that all the incendiary images are being posted by the same group.
"Anti-social elements are posting inflammatory posts to stoke hatred, bitterness and disharmony between sects," the minister said, warning that action will be taken not just against those who put up the photos but against others who "like" them on Facebook or forward them.
"Unless we are given the IP address by Facebook from where it has been uploaded we can't go ahead and if the person who has posted it has used a proxy server then we are nowhere," admitted Sanjay Kumar, Joint Commissioner of the Pune police.
Last week, Mohsin Shaikh, a young software professional was killed on his way home from dinner in Pune. 17 members of the Hindu Rashtra Sena, a radical right-wing outfit, have been arrested for his murder. The police linked the brutal killing to the tension over the morphed Facebook pictures of Shivaji and Bal Thackeray. Mohsin was not linked to the uploading of the photos, the police has said.