Udaipur tailor murder: CM Ashok Gehlot holds meeting with officials over law and order situation

After meeting the family members of Kanhaiya Lal, who was killed by two men on June 28 in Udaipur, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday held a meeting with officials of the state pertaining to law and order situation in the state. The chief minister spoke to the family members and relatives of the Udaipur incident victim. He further urged National Investigative Agency (NIA) to punish the guilty within a month.

"Our police did a good job; arrested the accused and found international links, which is why NIA came into the picture... We'll appeal to take this case via fast track. We want NIA to be time-bound and punish the guilty within a month. We'll cooperate with them," the Chief Minister told media persons. Yash, son of Kanhaiya Lal, said that Chief Minister Gehlot has provided financial support to the family and also assured him of a government job.

"I have spoken with the CM. He has provided us with financial help too. He has also assured me of a government job. He is cooperating with us, and we are ready to cooperate too," said Yash. He also said that the family has demanded security from the chief minister. "We have demanded security. My father was not provided security but we should be provided. We have been assured of the same. The culprits should not be given anything less than a death sentence," Yash added.

READ | ‘Devendra Fadnavis showed big heart by making me CM, won’t let him down’: Eknath Shinde

Earlier in the day, Gehlot appealed to the people to help maintain law and order in the state and assured that no criminal will be spared irrespective of any religion or community. "Rajasthan is known for communal cordiality and harmony. The example of brotherhood and unity here is given all over the country. A youth has been brutally murdered in Udaipur on June 28, 2022, which is very unfortunate. The state government is working diligently to maintain law and order," Gehlot said. He further said that the local police have registered the case under Sections 16, 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act-1967 (UAPA) and Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code read Section 153 A, 153 B, 295 A 452 and 35.

Kanhaiya Lal a tailor was hacked to death inside his shop in Udaipur by two men in broad daylight on June 28 for allegedly posting content in support of suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nupur Sharma. The beheading had sparked public outrage across the country. The incident took place in Udaipur's Maldas area on June 28. Soon after committing the crime, the two accused posted a video on social media boasting about the "beheading" and threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi's life as well, police said. The two accused were arrested within hours of the incident.

READ | Will Devendra Fadnavis be part of Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra cabinet? Know what BJP leader said

The assailants identified themselves in the video as Riyaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad. A four-member NIA team under the supervision of an Inspector General and a Deputy Inspector General (DIG)-rank officers reached Udaipur last night and began its investigation. Rajasthan Police on Wednesday had said that the main accused involved in the killing of the tailor in Udaipur were in touch with Pakistan-based organisation Dawat-e-Islami and one of them had also gone to Karachi in Pakistan in 2014 to visit the organisation.

Notably, Kanhaiya had also filed a complaint with the police about receiving threats. The victim reportedly had recently shared a social media post in support of Nupur Sharma-- former BJP spokesperson who had made controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammad.

READ | Maharashtra political crisis: 'Money meant for schools, hospitals being used to buy MLAs,' says AAP's Atishi Marlena