Udaipur killing: Congress, BJP come together for justice- Highlights from all-party meet

Udaipur Murder: After the gruesome cold-blooded killing of a Hindu tailor in Udaipur, the ruling Congress held a meeting of all political parties in Rajasthan on Wednesday to discuss on the future course of action. In the meeting all the parties, including Congress and BJP, strongly condemned the brutal murder and appealed for peace and restraint, PTI reported quoting the official sources. The all-party meeting was chaired by Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot in Jaipur. The chief minister also announced financial assistance of Rs 50 lakh to the dependent family of the deceased, who was identified as Kanhaiya Lal. The Hindu tailor was killed over a social media post supporting Nupur Sharma.

Here are some key highlights from the all-party meeting

• The parties unanimously termed the killing a "terrorist act.” Gehlot said that the links of the accused in the case have been traced to international organisations involved in illegal activities
• The parties, including the BJP, unanimously said such acts have no place in a civilised society and demanded strict punishment for those involved in the crime, an official statement said.
• They also appealed to the people of the state to maintain peace and harmony and said acting with restraint in this situation is the right way.
• A resolution condemning the incident was also passed at the all-party meeting.
• Gehlot said that the case is being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and that the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Special Operation Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan Police are coordinating with the NIA.
• The chief minister also condemned the assault of a policeman in Bheem town.
• The cop was slashed with a sword during a protest march in Rajsamand district's Bhim town, where police used tear gas to stop a stone-pelting mob from advancing towards a mosque.
• Gehlot announced financial aid of Rs 50 lakh to the kin of Kanhaiya Lal.
• Rajasthan Assembly Speaker C P Joshi urged representatives of all parties to ask their booth-level workers to maintain peace.
• He also suggested the prevention of cybercrime, monitoring of content on social media and creating a strong cyber intelligence system.

Lauding the state police for swift action in the case, Director General of Police M L Lather said both the criminals were arrested within four hours of the incident. Other criminals involved in the conspiracy have also been taken into custody and a case has been registered against them, he said.

(With PTI inputs)