Jaipur, June 5 -- Former Rajasthan chief minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday criticised the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for delaying the trial in the grisly 2022 murder of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiyalal Sahu and accused the state's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of abandoning the case after politicising it ahead of the assembly elections two years ago. The BJP made it a central poll plank at the time, Gehlot said on X. "The BJP heavily politicised the Udaipur Kanhaiyalal murder case and made it a central issue in the Rajasthan elections," he said. "On the very night of the incident, NIA took over the case. However, even after three years, the culprits in this clearly defined case have not been punished," Gehlot added. Gehlot said, "This month will mark three years since the murder of Kanhaiyalal. Rajasthan Police had arrested the accused within just four hours of the crime. The victim's family was provided with Rs.50 lakh in compensation, and both of his sons were given government jobs. However, the BJP spread misinformation among the public, claiming that only Rs.5 lakh was given, thereby politicising the difference between Rs.5 lakh and Rs 50 lakh." Two men, Riyaz Attari and Ghous Mohammed, were arrested on June 28, 2022 after they beheaded Sahu inside his store in Hathipol neighbourhood of Udaipur. The killing, which was captured on camera, sent shock waves through the country, triggering communal tensions and rocking the then Congress government in the state The accused captured the brutal killing on their mobile phones and also issued a threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The duo posed with the knives used in the killing. They were arrested hours after the crime that day. The two men claimed responsibility hours after the attack and said they killed Sahu as revenge for supporting BJP leader Nupur Sharma, then suspended for controversial remarks against the Prophet Mohammad. "Earlier, witness statements were being recorded, but the statements of three key witnesses have still not been taken. Out of the accused arrested in this case, two have already been granted bail," Gehlot said, and argued that the case should not have been transferred to central investigative agency. "If the NIA had not taken over the case and it had remained with the Rajasthan Police, the culprits would have been punished during our government's tenure. But it seems that the BJP is only using this case for political purposes. Their intention does not appear to be delivering justice to the victims.," said the former chief minister. BJP spokespersons dismissed his concerns and in turn accused Gehlot, who was chief minister at the time, of giving the accused security. Spokesperson Laxmikant Bharadwaj said Sahu had sought help from the police, citing a threat to his life, but was ignored. "It was local villagers who caught the fleeing attackers and handed them over to the police. Yet, Gehlot's government provided security to the families of these terrorists," he said. "Those responsible for Kanhaiyalal's murder have no moral right to speak on this matter," he added....