Rajasthan’s election rhetoric has taken a communal turn, with both major political parties in the State — the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP — evoking the brutal hacking of 50-year-old tailor Kanhaiya Lal Sahu in Udaipur in June 2022. Udaipur’s trading community says the murder could have been averted if the State had better law and order. The victim’s bereaved family still awaits justice; till then, they simply want to be left alone.
Sahu was killed after he shared a social media post supporting BJP leader Nupur Sharma, who had made offensive remarks against the Prophet Muhammed in a television debate earlier in May that year. The accused, Riyaz Attari and Gaus Mohammed, filmed themselves killing the tailor and posted the video on social media, sparking outrage across the country. In another video, showing two daggers used for beheading, they claimed responsibility for the crime, and were later arrested from the neighbouring Rajsamand district; a case is now under trial in court.
