According to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, “BJP people” who had been pressured by the party to be released from police custody days prior to the occurrence were responsible for the murder of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal last year.
In advance of the Rajasthan assembly elections on November 25, he made the accusation on Sunday during a meeting with Congress leaders and activists in Jodhpur. On June 28 of last year, two guys brandishing cleavers killed the Udaipur tailor on the grounds that he had insulted Islam.
The state’s opposition BJP rejected the accusation and blamed the violent killing of the tailor on the state government, which is governed by the Congress, failing to control intercommunal conflicts.
“BJP members are the accused in the murder of Kanhaiya Lal case. Gehlot claimed that the BJP leaders had freed them from police custody after they had been apprehended by the police two or three days prior to the incident for an altercation.
That’s why, he said, the BJP had been “defensive” about the episode.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also criticized the Gehlot government for the tragedy in his most recent remarks in Rajasthan.
Rajendra Gehlot, a member of the Rajya Sabha and the BJP’s election in-charge for western Rajasthan, refuted the accusations and questioned whether the accused had been apprehended by police and why they had been released.
“If the police let them off, that is a sign of weakness on the part of the state government. The BJP leader stated, “Despite the state government having information and complaints that were forwarded to the police, such a horrific crime was permitted to occur.”
The chief minister expressed skepticism on the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) handling of the murder case, claiming that the agency has been dragging its feet and that no one is certain what was going on.
“The NIA took over the case that same night, even though we had apprehended the accused within two or three hours of the murder. Since then, we are unaware of any developments in the matter. There would have been some progress if it had been with SOG,” he asserted.
The chief minister claimed that the probe is moving slowly on purpose and that this is because the BJP wants to use it as a political football.
He further asserted that BJP leaders departed for a convention in Hyderabad, however the Congress handled the situation with utmost seriousness.
“After the event, I cancelled all of my Jaipur programs and headed for Udaipur. However, Ashok Gehlot stated, “The BJP leaders departed for Hyderabad for a conference that also included their opposition leader.”
