The Union government on Wednesday, June 29, directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the probe into the brutal murder of a tailor in Udaipur. The tailor, Kanhaiya Lal, was killed and almost beheaded on Tuesday, June 27, days after he expressed support to former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who was suspended for her contentious remarks against Prophet Mohammed. Lal’s murder has triggered fear and panic among the residents of Udaipur, where police security has been tightened.
Rajasthan police have clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) for a month in parts of the city, while internet services have been suspended across all 33 districts for 24 hours. Treating the murder as a terror incident, the Union government directed the NIA to extensively probe the brutal murder, and especially whether any organisation and international links were behind the killing. A spokesperson of the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Twitter that the "MHA has directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the investigation of the brutal murder of Shri Kanhaiya Lal Teli committed at Udaipur, Rajasthan yesterday". "The involvement of any organisation and international links will be thoroughly investigated," it said.
Hours after the incident, two men — Ghouse Mohammed and Riaz — posted a video of them posing as customers and entering Lal’s shop. The video shows Lal taking down the measurements of one of them, when suddenly, Ghouse and Riyaz took out a sharp knife and began attacking him. The mobile phone on which the video was being recorded then fell down, and while the violence could not be seen, Lal was heard screaming and asking why the two were attacking him.
A day after Lal’s horrific murder by the two men who had posted videos online that said they were avenging an insult to Islam, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said his government has taken a serious view of the matter, asserting such incidents cannot take place without involvement of radical elements at national and international levels.
Ghouse and Riaz later released another video, in which they claimed responsibility for the attack and showed the bloody knife used to kill Lal. They also threatened to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Udaipur police have arrested the two. As per reports, the accused had been planning the brutal crime for over 10 days, as Riaz had recorded a video on June 17 which he said he would post after the killing.
The incident has been condemned by politicians across party lines, with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot calling it “brutal beyond imagination” and appealing to the public to maintain peace. After the accused were arrested, the CM convened a high-level meeting of state Home Minister Rajendra Yadav, Chief Secretary Usha Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary Home, DGP, DG Intelligence and other senior officers in Jaipur to discuss the matter. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to look into the incident, and the Union Home Ministry sent a team to Udaipur as well.
For several hours after Lal was killed, local shopkeepers and bystanders refused to let the police take away his body for postmortem, saying they would only allow it after the murderers are arrested and a compensation of Rs 50 lakh and a government job are given to the victim's family. Later, they agreed to assurances given by the authorities.
Lal’s body was taken for postmortem on Wednesday, and his mortal remains were handed over to his family to conduct the last rites. A funeral procession was held from his house amid tight security, with hundreds of supporters joining in. Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria also visited Lal’s house.