Manas Dasgupta
NEW DEHI, June 30: As the demands for “quick justice” and nothing less than “death penalty” was raised from different parts of the country for the killers of the Udaipur tailor, the Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said on Thursday that he would request the union home minister to direct the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to complete the investigation into the gruesome murder within a month.
Gehlot, who was in Udaipur and called on the family members of the tailor, a victim of religious fanaticism, suggested that the prime minister Narendra Modi should personally take up the issue and address the nation on the issue of communal violence and communalism that seen to have spiked since the controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad by the suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
Gehlot along with the state’s top officials and Congress MLAs visited the family of Kanhaiya Lal at their home in Udaipur and handed over a cheque for ₹ 51 lakh to the family as compensation.
Speaking to the media after his visit, Gehlot said he would speak to Amit Shah and request him that the NIA be asked to complete its probe in the case within a month. “This is a heinous murder that has shaken not just the state but the entire country,” he said and went on to commend the state police for swiftly arresting the accused and finding out their international links.
Kanhaiya Lal was murdered by two cleaver-wielding men who filmed the grisly killing and later gloated about it in a video. He was at his shop in the city’s busy Dhan Mandi market when the attackers Ghouse Mohammad and Riyaz Akhtari walked in posing as customers before attacking him.
The post-mortem report revealed that there were 26 stab wounds on the body of the 48-year old tailor. The killing has been described by former IPS officer as “ISIS-type execution.” Police said one of the accused Riyaz Akhtari was in contact with Pakistan-based terror groups and his mobile phone contained at least 10 Pakistani numbers. The other, Ghouse Mohammad had visited Karachi in 2014 and was believed to have stayed there for about 45 days. Before killing Kanhaiya Lal, they had watched many ISIS videos and made multiple calls to Pakistan, sources had said.
The victim’s son said the Chief Minister has assured the family that they will get state protection. He demanded that the killers be hanged. “Nothing less than that, the accused must be hanged to death,” he said. The Chief Minister informed us that two cops have been suspended for negligence and action might be taken against others as well, he said. “They have even lived in Karachi for 45 days, there’s a link,” he said, as relatives around the son tried to dissuade the media from questioning him saying the community leaders will answer questions as the son is just a boy.
As outrage spirals over Kanhaiya Lal’s murder, stone-throwing erupted briefly today during a protest march by hundreds in Udaipur. The riot police moved in to control the crowds. About 1,000 protesters from various Hindu organisations held up saffron flags and chanted slogans demanding justice as the procession marched under heavy security. Tensions peaked as the protesters walked near the area where the horrific murder took place on Tuesday. The police dispersed the agitated crowd.
Talking to media persons, Gehlot said, “Communalism has increased in the country after Nupur Sharma’s statement. Violence is happening. The Prime Minister should talk to the country and ask people to exercise restraint.” The Prime Minister had “spoken on the incident of lynching, so it has had an effect,” Gehlot said referring to the address in 2019 regarding the mob killing in Jharkhand.
PM Modi “should speak to every Chief Minister to take immediate action on communal incidents,” he added. “I will appeal to the people in the state and country to maintain peace… violence is not the solution,” he added.
Gehlot has appealed to the people of Rajasthan to help maintain law and order in the state. He also urged religious leaders, representatives of the people, and social activists to appeal to people to ensure peace in society. The murder made national headlines and triggered tension in Rajasthan’s Udaipur.
Condemning the incident, the Congress leader Sachin Pilot said the gruesome murder had surpassed all limits of humanity and that the killers, through fast-track court, should be given such a punishment that will set an example for the entire country.