Udaipur tailor’s killers linked to BJP, alleges Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot
Kanhaiya Lal was killed on June 28 last year for purportedly sharing a social media post in support of Nupur Sharma, a suspended BJP spokesperson.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday alleged that the men who killed a tailor in Udaipur last year were linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party, ANI reported.
The tailor, Kanhaiya Lal, was killed on June 28 last year for purportedly sharing a social media post in support of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. She had made disparaging remarks about Prophet Muhammad during a television debate a month before.
The chief minister said that if the state police’s Special Operations Group had handled the case instead of the National Investigation Agency, the matter would have reached a logical conclusion. His statement came days ahead of Assembly elections in Rajasthan, which are slated to be held on November 25.
“No one knows what action the NIA has taken,” Gehlot told reporters in Jodhpur on Sunday. “If our SOG had pursued the case, the culprits would have been brought to justice by now.”
The chief minister said that as soon as he heard about the killing, he had cancelled all his scheduled events and left for Udaipur. “However, several top leaders of the BJP chose to attend an event in Hyderabad even after learning of the Udaipur incident,” he said.
Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had referred to the killing, and alleged that the Congress was concerned about its vote bank even in the backdrop of the murder.
On November 7, Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged that Gehlot government’s had crossed all limits when it came to the “politics of appeasement”, The Indian Express reported.
Two men named Riyaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad had posted a video of the killing online on June 28. They were arrested hours later.
The Rajasthan Police had filed the initial case after Lal’s killing. However, the National Investigation Agency subsequently took over the matter and registered a separate case on June 29 last year.