Kanhaiya Lal had lodged a report with the Udaipur Police on June 15 that he was receiving threats, but the police did not understand the seriousness of the matter and instead tried to negotiate a settlement between the two parties for which Kanhaiya Lal had to pay with his life.
DGP ML Lather said the police have already suspended an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) and the station in-charge (SHO) concerned for failing to ascertain the situation.
Rajasthan Police said a complaint was filed against Lal by a Nazim on June 10 for allegedly posting objectionable social media.
Lal was arrested by the police and was later released on bail. On June 15, the victim narrated her ordeal to the police and claimed that she did not make any objectionable remarks and it was only an accident as a child playing a game on her phone had left a social media post.
The victim had also contended in her complaint before the police that Nazim and his friends were following her regularly to do recce and keep a watch on her.
According to the complaint, the victim came to know that some people were trying to kill her as soon as she opened her shop and some people had shared her pictures and names on different social media groups.
Officials said the local police station then called members of both communities to pacify and facilitate a settlement.
The victim’s family also pointed out that if the police had acted on her complaint in time, things would not have taken such a dire turn. The Rajasthan Police also found that the SHO had appointed an officer of the rank of ASI to deal with the matter, though such a situation required a different response.
An all-party meeting convened by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday condemned the killing of Kanhaiya Lal Sahu, describing Udaipur as a “stigma on humanity” and appealed to the people to exercise restraint and maintain peace.
A statement said, “This inhuman act amounts to a stigma on humanity. All the parties unanimously demanded that the culprits of this act should be punished.”
In Wednesday’s meeting, the parties assured that the culprits involved in the murder and conspiracy would be punished severely and justice would be done to Sahu’s family. In the statement, he said that the crime is being probed by the NIA.
Gehlot also chaired a high-level meeting of officials on the killing. Senior police officials said that preliminary investigation suggests that the perpetrators have links with international organisations.
(with agency input)