Lucknow: Despite getting as assurance from the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath that those guilty will not be spared, family of fringe Hindu Samaj Party leader Kamlesh Tiwari has demanded a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). "We want the National Investigation Agency to investigate the case, we do not trust anyone. My father was killed although he had security guards, how can we possibly trust the administration then?," Tiwari's son Satyam was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

I am not sure if the men arrested by police have murdered my father or if someone else did and innocent people are being framed. If these are the actual culprits and the police have video evidence, the NIA should take over the probe. If they probe and these people are found guilty, we will be satisfied. We do not have belief in this administration," Satyam said while speaking to reporters.

Even mother of  Kamlesh Tiwari has alleged he was killed by a local politician over a land dispute. "No one asked me what I feel, who I suspect. He (local politician) got my son killed. He is a land mafia. We had a dispute over a temple land," Kamlesh Tiwari's mother, Kusum, told reporters outside her house.

A joint team of Uttar Pradesh Police, Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad and Gujarat Police on Saturday detained three persons from Surat in the brutal daylight murder of former Hindu Mahasabha chief at his office in Lucknow. Addressing a press conference here, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) O.P. Singh said, "A joint team of UP and Gujarat Police has detained Maulana Mohsin Sheikh, Faizan and Khurshid Ahmed Pathan and is interrogating them."

Singh had said the police initially detained five persons from Surat, but two were released later. "Their activities are being monitored," said Singh. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is also keeping an eye on the probe and the may soon take over the probe from the UP Police soon.

According to Gujarat Police sources, the attackers wearing saffron clothes, had walked into Tiwari's office in Khurshid Bagh on Friday on the pretext of handing over a box of sweets. Inside the office, the assailants opened the box, took out a gun and sprayed bullets at Tiwari and fled. Tiwari was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved.

Tiwari, a former Hindu Mahasabha chief, had in January 2017 formed the Hindu Samaj Party and was known for making controversial remarks. In 2015, he was arrested and the National Security Act (NSA) was slapped on him after he made some controversial statement about Prophet Muhammad. Recently, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court revoked the NSA against him.

"In the initial interrogation, no criminal background has been established of the three detained. If needed, we will take them into remand, and bring them to UP for questioning," said the DGP. He said, "In the FIR, two people -- Maulana Anwarul Haq and Mufti Naeem Qazmi -- were named as conspirators. These two have also been detained and they are being questioned."