On June 28, 2022, the city of Lakes, Udaipur witnessed a horrific incident of beheading amid chants of ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’. These slogans are raised by Islamists against ‘Blasphemy’. As per definition, Blasphemy is an act of insult against the founder of Islam, Prophet Mohammad.
But what happened in Udaipur’s Maldas street was beyond imagination. Tailor Kanhaiya Lal was murdered by Mohammad Riyaz Attari and Ghouse Mohammad in broad daylight for supporting Nupur Sharma, Ex-Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson. Sharma was alleged of making derogatory remarks against the founder of Islam during a live Television debate on the Gyanwapi Mosque issue. A day later, the video clip of her comments was shared by so-called fack checker and propagandist Mohammed Zubair, the co-founder of Alt News, which was a “heavily edited and selected video,” claimed Sharma.
Sharma also received threats of beheading over her statements, her effigy was burnt and beheaded on the streets, she also stepped down from her post in the party following the protests across the country. As many as two people died supporting Sharma, including Kanhaiya Lal and Umesh Kolhe and a dozen of them were assaulted brutally.
Notably, following the murder of Kanhaiya Lal, Attari and Ghouse were formally arrested on June 29 and booked for murder, outraging religious beliefs, conspiracy and terror. They were also charged under the stringent anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The case was later transferred to the National Investigating Agency (NIA).
The controversy erupted following the post on June 8, after which Kanhaiya Lal informed the police saying, his children have mistakenly posted the update while playing the game on the phone. The post was in support of Nupur Sharma.
On June 10, some people came to his shop, took his phone and deleted the update. On June 11, the Dhanmandi police called him informing a case has been instituted against him by neighbour Nazim, on June 12, Kanhaiya Lal was granted bail by the court. He was scheduled to be presented before the court on June 29 in the same case. From then onwards Kanhaiya Lal received repeated threats, and people came to his shop to threaten him, he also informed the police and gave a complaint on June 15, stating people including Nazim were circulating his number and address on social media and they might kill him. However, the police dismissed the matter by merely arranging a talk between the two groups. And ultimately on June 28, Kanhaiya Lal was beheaded.
June 28, 2023, marks the ‘Barsi’, the death anniversary of Kanhaiya Lal, an innocent Hindu man who was beheaded by Islamic religious fanatics. Organiser brings you details of his family’s life after his death and the state of terror they live in.
Kanhaiya Lal is survived by his wife, Jashoda and two of his sons, Yash and Tarun. The family demands justice for him on his death anniversary.
Organiser called the elder son of Kanhaiya Lal, 20-year-old, Yash on June 27, he was busy with the arrangements for the ‘Barsi’ (the first death anniversary) after returning from the office. Following his father’s death he got the job of Lower Division Clerk (LDC) in the Udaipur Treasury, he holds a bachelor of commerce degree.
Telling about his family’s life over the past year he said, “We were a happy family until the black day of June 28 last year. My father had a shop, we were having a good life, all he wanted was, us to study but everything got in vain, because of those men who killed my father”.
He shared some pictures of his family which can be seen here:
Kanhaiya Lal was murdered for allegedly posting an update on the social media platform. Back in 2022, there ran a social media campaign where people supported Nupur Sharma. Kanhiya Lal wrote, “I Support Nupur Sharma,” which was done by mistake as per his statement to the police.
About the post, Yash said, “I have not seen the post to date, but the locals say, it read, I support Nupur Sharma.”
He added, “Mam we live in a democratic country and every person has a right to express their beliefs and thoughts, this doesn’t mean that anyone will come and kill you. I don’t want to comment on what Nupur Sharma said, but my father did no wrong, he does not deserve this, I stand by what he said”.
He said, “A lot is said and written about our religion and deities as well but do we go out carrying swords in our hands?”
Asked if he has watched the film ‘Adipursh’ he said, “I am not allowed to watch the films as for it, I will have to enter a crowded place. Since the death of my father, we are not allowed to go anywhere without security, two police officers are always present outside our house, a number of cameras are installed at every entry and exit point and we are not allowed to go to any crowded place”.
About the film, he said, “I have read and watched some clips on social media where Hanuman Ji is shown using foul language and doing gestures which are not culturally suitable, the makers should not have done this with our epics. Even if they were making a film they should have watched the Ramayan serial or read the Valmiki or Tulsidas Ramayan as reference.”
“Even after this not a single Hindu is on streets with such slogans amidst which my father was killed”, he added.
He said, “I believe we are provided with security because of the case we are fighting and not because the police fear we will meet a similar fate like my father”.
The two accused live far away from where Kanhiya Lal lived with his family, one of them lived almost 150 kilometres away.
Kanhaiya ran a tailor shop in Maldas street. Referring to a story printed in Hindi Daily, Dainik Bhaskar, this correspondent asked, the children of the accused family are not getting admissions in schools, what do you think?
He said, “I want the accused to be hanged for what they did to my father. We have everything now but no happiness in our lives, we miss him every single day. About the children of the accused, their father chose this life for them, even after killing my father they said, they have done it for their god and not their family, so be it, I don’t know if it is right or wrong but the children are facing what their fathers did”.
Yash said, “We have received Monterey relief from the government, two jobs one for me and one for my brother who left his studies to join the work but the government has failed to give us justice. It has been a year now and to date, no decision has come out of it, we went on two hearings in court, but no one tells us anything, the NIA says, we are not allowed to say anything, the lawyer says nothing, what do we do?”
He added, “The day my father gave a complaint to the police demanding action against those threatening him, the police should have acted. The lack of action took my father’s life”.
Yash said, “We have not done the asti-viasrjan till now, we are waiting for the accused to be hanged first and only then the visarjan will be done.”
Yash has stopped wearing slippers, he is growing his hair in protest, saying he will chop them only after the decision in this case comes up. As of now the shop of Kanhaiya Lal is under NIA custody and no one is allowed to enter the place.
They have stopped celebrating birthdays and festivals, no relatives visit their house after the incident. “People turn happy on getting government jobs, but we are not, we want our father back,” said Tarun.
As per a report by Dainik Bhaskar, the street where Kanhaiya Lal was murdered is deserted, shopkeepers keep their shutters closed, they get back home before it gets dark, and locals hang locks on the doors and live inside in fear. The same street used to have traffic jams and blockades during festivals as it was the famous cloth market that looked like a curfew spot.
Kanhaiya Lal’s wife Jashoda, questioned the administration and Nupur Sharma for her statement on national television. She said, there should have been no debate around the Gyanvapi, which took her husband’s life. She keeps staring at his sewing machine and the clothes he stitched.
“It was his fast day (Tuesday), and he asked me to prepare food for him, little did I know that he will never return home”, a weeping Jashoda added.
Yash said he wishes to study further and crack inter-departmental exams to get to a better rank. When asked about the film which is in the pipeline about Kanhaiya Lal, ‘The Udaipur Files’, Yash said, the makers have approached him taking permission for the film but they have not approved it yet.
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