Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday (February 8, 2026) alleged that the accused persons in the 2022 Kanhaiya Lal murder case in Udaipur were “BJP workers” and that his family was still awaiting justice despite it being an “open-and-shut” case.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has in the past refuted the Congress’s allegation that one of the main accused in the case was its member.

Responding to a statement by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Mr. Gehlot said through his X handle, “The country’s Finance Minister, Mrs.@nsitharaman stated in Parliament while referring to the murder of Shri Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur that no action was taken. This is factually completely wrong and misleading. The Rajasthan Police took immediate action and arrested the murderers within just a few hours.”

He said, “Then, the Central government took the case from the police and handed the investigation over to the NIA. Since then, from 2022 until today in 2026, Shri Kanhaiya Lal ji’s family has been waiting for justice. I repeatedly ask your leader and Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah, what has happened and when the murderers will receive their punishment, but he does not respond.”

Alleging that those accused of having murdered Kanhaiya Lal were BJP workers, he said, “Due to them not having received punishment even now, the apprehension in the public’s mind is only growing stronger that, because they are BJP workers, these two are not being given punishment despite it being such an open-and-shut case.”

The senior Congress leader alleged that during the elections, the BJP “lied” about the compensation given to the victim’s family. “…the truth is that Shri Kanhaiya Lal’s family was given 50 lakh rupees in compensation, and both of their sons were given government jobs. After the elections, now whenever the Home Minister comes to Rajasthan, he remains silent on this issue and dodges the matter. The people of the country are watching all of this and, when the time comes, will hold you accountable,” he said.

Nine accused persons are currently facing trial in the case before a special NIA court in Jaipur. Two of them, Mohammed Javed and Farhad Mohammad Sheikh, were earlier granted bail. The others, including Mohammad Riyaz Attari and Ghous Mohammad, who allegedly killed Kanhaiya Lal, are in judicial custody.