'BJP used Kanhaiya Lal murder for votes': Ashok Gehlot says justice still elusive four years later

Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday alleged that justice has remained elusive in the Kanhaiya Lal murder case even four years after the incident, accusing the BJP of using the case for electoral gains while failing to ensure a speedy trial.Gehlot said that despite the National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the case and a special NIA court hearing it, there has been little progress under BJP governments at both the Centre and in Rajasthan."The hope for justice remains unfulfilled even today under the BJP's "double engine" government," he wrote in X post.'Only 21 of 180 witnesses examined'Questioning the pace of the trial, Gehlot claimed that only 21 out of nearly 180 witnesses have been examined so far.He alleged that the delay appeared to be more than mere negligence and suggested there was a deliberate attempt to prolong the proceedings."The BJP, which spread the lie of "5 lakh versus 50 lakh" to win elections, never intended to deliver justice in the first place," Gehlot said further.Targets BJP over 'silence'Gehlot also claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah no longer mention the Kanhaiya Lal murder during their visits to Rajasthan.He urged people of the state to "see through the BJP's politics" on the issue, alleging that the party had played with public sentiments instead of ensuring justice for the victim's family.About the Kanhaiya Lal murder caseKanhaiya Lal, a tailor from Udaipur, was brutally murdered on June 28, 2022 after he publicly expressed support for a controversial statement made by suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. The incident led to significant communal unrest in Rajasthan, with two men from a minority community arrested shortly after for the crime.The accused also recorded the killing and circulated the video online, triggering nationwide outrage. The case was later handed over to the NIA for investigation.The murder took place when the Congress government led by Ashok Gehlot was in power in Rajasthan.Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.