Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot: BJP must clarify alleged links with Udaipur murder accused

Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday made serious allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party of having links with the accused involved in the gruesome murder of Kanhaiya Lal Teli in Udaipur and asserted that the BJP should issue a clarification.

Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor, was beheaded in Udaipur on June 28 by Mohammad Riyaz and Ghouse Mohammad for supporting Nupur Sharma.

"The relationship of the accused with BJP in (Udaipur beheading) case is known to everyone. Recently it was found that the accused lived in a rented place, owned by another Muslim person," said CM Ashok Gehlot.

Gehlot asked the BJP to respond to the allegations of its links with one of the accused in the recent murder of a tailor in Udaipur.

Gehlot asked the BJP to come clean on the allegations that the BJP helped one of the accused by requesting the police to drop the complaint against the accused as he is a BJP worker.

"Owner of the house had alleged that they (accused who beheaded Kanhaiya) were not paying rent, he approached the police for it. But even before the police could investigate the matter, BJP workers started calling them (landlord) stating they were BJP workers and warning the landlord of not troubling the party worker," added Gehlot.

He asked BJP leaders to issue a clarification on the "connection" of the accused with the party.

As the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested the seventh accused in connection with the Udaipur killing, photographs of the main accused, Riaz Akhtari, with some BJP leaders, including the Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria, emerged on social media, prompting the Congress to allege that Akhtari was a BJP worker.

However, the BJP has denied the allegations.

Kanhaiyya Lal Teli, who was a tailor by profession, was killed brutally for putting social media posts in support of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on June 28.

The beheading incident had sparked public outrage across the country.

The assailants identified themselves in the video as Riyaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad. In the video, Riyaz was seen attacking 47-year-old Kanhaiya Lal with a sharp-edged weapon while the other, Ghouse, recorded the crime on his mobile phone.

Riyaz and Ghouse were arrested from Bhim in the Rajsamand district.

The seventh accused has been identified as Farhad Mohammad Sheikh aged 31.

The accused was arrested yesterday, Farhad Mohammad was a close criminal associate of one of the main killers accused Riyaz Attari and was an active part of the conspiracy to kill Kanhaiya Lal.

The NIA took over the investigation of the Udaipur beheading case and re-registered the case on June 29.

Earlier six accused persons were arrested in this case on June 29, July 1 and 4 respectively.