Kanhaiya Lal killing: Two Pakistanis among 11 accused in NIA charge sheet

Jaipur, Dec 23

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet against 11 persons, including two Pakistani nationals, for their alleged involvement in the brutal murder of Udaipur-based tailor Kanhaiya Lal, and called the killing 'terror-gang' act.

On June 28, two of the 11 accused had slit the throat of Kanhaiya Lal, 48, with a cleaver.

It has been said in the charge sheet that the murder was committed to spread fear across the country and hence the act was filmed. Eleven people, including the main accused Riyaz and Gaus Mohammad, have been made accused.

If sources are to be believed, the NIA has added two persons living in Karachi as accused after its investigation.

Sources said that these youths used to send inflammatory messages along with being the admin of many groups. All these accused were associated in these groups. Both the Pakistanis are currently away from the grip of NIA.

All the accused have not even been produced in the court so far. The challan will also be heard on January 3 itself.

In the charge sheet presented in the Special Court of Jaipur on Thursday, the NIA team has said in the charge sheet that the accused had conspired to take revenge by acting as a terrorist module. The accused were radicalized and were motivated by objectionable audio/video/messages coming from across the world, including India. Both the accused had arranged knives and weapons to carry out the gruesome manner across the country.

There was anger in the minds of the accused about Kanhaiya Lal's Facebook post. Being fundamentalists, with the aim of spreading terror across India, the accused made a video of the murder and made it viral. One of the two also shot another threatening video with the intention of spreading fear and terror among the people of India for writing against Islam.

Lal was murdered inside his shop Supreme Tailors in Udaipur when two persons, Gaus Mohammad and Mohammad Riyaz, entered the shop as customers and beheaded Lal.