The authorities are investigating into how Regar accessed a phone inside the high-security prison.
Highlights
- Regar in his hate speech asked Hindus to unite against 'jihadis'
- He told police it was not his phone and did not say who it belonged to
- Regar also alleges that a West Bengal convict is planning to kill him
In what is being termed as a major security breach, incendiary videos featuring Shambhulal Regar, a Rajasthan man jailed after a horrific hate crime, have been recorded inside the Jodhpur Central Jail and circulated.
Regar, 36, has been in jail since December for hacking a Muslim labourer to death in Rajsamand and burning his body, all on camera. Extremely disturbing video clips filmed by his 15-year-old nephew were widely circulated before the police arrested him.
The two new videos in circulation have Regar repeat his rant against "jihadis" inside what appears to be his jail cell. Wearing a hoodie, he speaks into a cellphone and reads out from a long, hate-filled statement asking Hindus to unite against Jihadis. In one of the videos, he alleges a threat to his life.
He expresses no regrets for his crime. "I couldn't bear threats to Hindu women. I have ruined my life and I don't regret it. But I am sad about the fact that the law and the media showed illicit relationship with her and me," he says. Media reports, including by NDTV, exposed how a failed relationship with a minor could have triggered Regar's chilling crime.
NDTV can't verify the authenticity of the cellphone videos that raise serious questions on security and vigilance inside jails. State Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria has ordered an investigation into how Regar accessed a phone inside the high security prison.
The police have filed a First Information Report (FIR) and jail officials are sifting through the barracks to track down the mobile phone. So far, say the police, no phone or any device has been found.
Regar has told the police it wasn't his phone. He has not revealed whose it is either.
Sources say only 2G jammers work at the jail complex, which also houses rape-accused spiritual leader Asaram Bapu.
Calling one of the videos his "last", Regar says even though he has been kept in one of the jail's safest cells, he fears a convict from West Bengal is planning to kill him.
Regar was arrested after the gut-wrenching video of him killing a man with a pickaxe and burning his body went viral in December. His victim, Mohammad Afrazul, was a 45-year-old daily wager from West Bengal. In the video, Regar ranted against "love jihad", the term used by right-wing groups accusing Muslim men of marrying Hindu women and converting them.
The police learnt that Regar, a father of three, was an introvert, but was obsessed with hate videos on his phone and was part of rabid groups. "It seems he was addicted to hardline hate videos," a police officer had said.