Ashok Gehlot Accuses BJP of Exploiting Kanhaiya Lal Murder Case, Highlights Delays in Justice Delivery

Jaipur/Udaipur- Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has launched a blistering critique of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government, accusing it of politicizing the brutal 2022 murder of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal Teli while failing to ensure justice for the victim’s family.

In a detailed post on X on June 4, 2025, Gehlot alleged that the National Investigation Agency (NIA), under the BJP-led central government, has mishandled the high-profile case, resulting in significant delays in the trial process, leaving the perpetrators unpunished nearly three years after the crime that shocked the nation.

Gehlot’s Scathing Criticism: BJP’s “Political Exploitation”

In his X post, Gehlot accused the BJP of turning the Kanhaiya Lal murder into a central issue during the 2023 Rajasthan Assembly elections to malign the then-Congress government. " The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) extensively politicized the Kanhaiya Lal murder case in Udaipur and made it a central issue in the Rajasthan elections.

The case was taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on the night of the incident. The NIA, an agency under the BJP-led central government, has been handling the case, but even after three years, the culprits in this clear-cut case have not been punished.

Kanhaiya Lal’s family has stated that the case is not being fast-tracked. The case is pending in the NIA court in Jaipur. The additional charge of the NIA court was with a CBI court judge, who has been transferred, resulting in no hearings taking place. No hearing dates have been scheduled for the past six months.

Previously, witness statements were being recorded, but the statements of three key witnesses are yet to be taken.

Out of the accused arrested in this case, two have been granted bail so far.

This month marks three years since the Kanhaiya Lal murder case. The Rajasthan Police had arrested the culprits within just four hours. Kanhaiya Lal’s family was given Rs 50 lakh as compensation, and both of his sons were provided government jobs. However, the BJP spread rumors among the public that only Rs 5 lakh was given as compensation, engaging in politics over the difference between five lakh and fifty lakh.

If the NIA had not taken over the case and it had remained with the Rajasthan Police, it is likely that the culprits would have been punished during our government’s tenure. However, it seems the BJP is only politicizing this case and does not appear intent on delivering justice to the victims", the long post read.

The Kanhaiya Lal Murder: A Crime That Shook India

On June 28, 2022, Kanhaiya Lal Teli, a 48-year-old tailor from Udaipur’s Hathipole area, was brutally murdered in his shop by two assailants, Mohammad Riyaz Attari and Ghouse Mohammad. The attackers, armed with cleavers, hacked Lal to death in broad daylight, recorded the gruesome act, and posted videos online, claiming they were avenging an alleged insult to Islam. The murder was linked to Lal’s social media post supporting former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, whose controversial remarks had sparked widespread debate.

The incident sent shockwaves across India, triggering communal tensions in Rajasthan. The state government imposed a curfew in Udaipur, suspended internet services, and enforced Section 144 statewide for a month to prevent violence. The Rajasthan Police acted swiftly, arresting the two main accused within four hours of the crime. The case was soon transferred to the NIA due to suspected terror links, with one of the accused reportedly connected to the Pakistan-based organization Dawat-e-Islami and having visited Karachi in 2014. The NIA filed a chargesheet against 11 accused, including charges under Sections 302 (murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, and provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).