Jodhpur: Shambhu Lal Regar, accused of murdering a labourer from Malda, was deified in a procession taken out by Right-wing groups on Ram Navami here on Sunday, officials said.

Regar, now behind bars, is accused of hacking Afrajul Khan to death in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan. A chilling video of the hate crime had sent shock-waves across the country.

In the procession taken out here, one tableau was dedicated to Regar. A man, pickaxe in hand, posed as Regar while another lay on the ground, pretending to be the victim. A banner hailed Regar as someone who tried to fight "love jihad".

"Wake up Hindu brothers, save your sisters and daughters; nation should be liberated of love jihad," read the message in Hindi. (No link between Khan and the so-called love jihad has been established. In fact, the very concept of love jihad has not been substantiated yet.)

Mahaveer Singh, an office-bearer of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, justified the inclusion of the tableau in the procession.

Terming "love- jihad" a big and serious issue, the VHP leader said if the government did not take any action and come out with a law pertaining to this matter, the country would be on the brink of a civil war-like situation.

"The government needs to be serious and act before this issue pushes the country to the brink of a civil war," Singh said.

Regar, he said, was an under-trial and could not be declared a criminal.

Hari Singh, an office-bearer of the Shiv Sena, who was also part of the organising committee, expressed pride in Regar's act.

"He brought the attention of all Hindus to the issue of love jihad, which is a more serious matter than even cancer. He did it for the Hindu community and it wasn't wrong," he said.

Police said they had begun gathering information about the incident. "We have learnt about this tableau and begun an investigation into the matter," said an officer. PTI