Solved case · 2022
Also known as killing of Kanhaiya Lal · Kanhaiya Lal's murder
The short answer
On 28 June 2022, tailor Kanhaiya Lal Teli was murdered in his Udaipur, Rajasthan shop by two men who filmed the attack and posted it online, citing his alleged support for a controversial remark about the Prophet Muhammad as motive.
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Suggest coverage for Murder of Kanhaiya LalOn 28 June 2022, Kanhaiya Lal Teli, a Hindu tailor from the Dhanmandi area of Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, was killed inside his shop by two men who entered posing as customers. The attackers subdued Lal with cleavers while he was taking measurements, dragged him out of the shop, and used a makeshift dagger to attack him, stabbing him in different parts of the body. A shop assistant who tried to intervene sustained severe head injuries. The attackers filmed the killing and circulated footage online, in which two men identifying themselves as Muhammad Riyaz Attari and Muhammad Ghaus were seen holding butcher knives and claiming responsibility. A second video showed the pair boasting about the killing and making threats against India's prime minister.
The reported motive centered on a social media post supporting Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma, whose remarks had sparked the 2022 Muhammad remarks controversy; Lal was alleged to have shared this post, though he stated it had been shared inadvertently by his son. Prior to the killing, a neighbor had registered a case against Lal over the post, leading to his arrest and later release on bail. Lal had subsequently sought police protection after receiving threats, and police said they had mediated a resolution between the parties, after which Lal asked for no further action. Muhammad Riyaz Attari had reportedly recorded a video days before the attack stating an intent to commit murder over perceived insults to the Prophet Muhammad.
Following the killing, authorities imposed a 24-hour curfew in parts of Udaipur and suspended internet access across Rajasthan. The two accused were arrested in Rajasthan's Rajsamand district on the day of the attack while allegedly attempting to flee. The National Investigation Agency was deployed to investigate. Police stated the attackers had attempted to behead Lal but had failed, while some media organizations reported that he had been beheaded. The Rajasthan government announced compensation of ₹50 lakh for Lal's family and later announced government jobs for his two sons; additional private compensation was announced by a Bharatiya Janata Party leader for the family, an injured bystander, and an injured police constable.
The killing prompted widespread reactions, including a large silent protest march in Udaipur, condemnation from Muslim religious bodies such as the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, protests by Hindu organizations demanding action against the perpetrators, a statement from a United Nations spokesperson calling for religious harmony, and condemnation from Amnesty International. The case later became the subject of a Hindi-language film, "Udaipur Files," whose release was stayed by the Delhi High Court in July 2025 following a petition alleging the film could incite communal hatred and affect a fair trial for the accused.
A neighbor registered a case against Kanhaiya Lal over a social media post supporting Nupur Sharma, leading to Lal's arrest; he was later released on bail.
Lal filed a request for police protection after receiving death threats and filed a complaint against his neighbor and others.
Muhammad Riyaz Attari reportedly recorded a video stating intent to commit murder over remarks against the Prophet Muhammad.
Two assailants entered Kanhaiya Lal's tailor shop in Udaipur posing as customers and killed him with cleavers and a makeshift dagger; the attack was filmed and circulated online. The assailants were arrested the same day in Rajsamand district. The Rajasthan government announced ₹50 lakh compensation for Lal's family.
BJP leader Kapil Mishra visited Lal's family and announced additional compensation for the family, an injured bystander, and an injured police constable.
The Rajasthan government announced government jobs for Kanhaiya Lal's two sons.
The Delhi High Court imposed a stay order on the release of the film 'Udaipur Files,' which dramatized the murder, following a petition alleging it could incite communal hatred.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Hindu tailor killed in his Udaipur shop on 28 June 2022; also reported as Kanhaiya Lal Sahu.[3]
Named by the NIA in its December 2022 chargesheet (9 of 11 total accused) as one of the two men (with Mohammad Riyaz Attari) who beheaded tailor Kanhaiya Lal in his Udaipur shop on 28 June 2022; charged with murder under IPC Section 302 along with other IPC sections and Sections 16, 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for terrorism. Held in Ajmer high-security jail; trial before the NIA special court is ongoing.[3]
Named by the NIA in its December 2022 chargesheet (9 of 11 total accused) as one of the two men (with Ghaus Muhammad) who beheaded tailor Kanhaiya Lal in his Udaipur shop on 28 June 2022; charged with murder under IPC Section 302 along with other IPC sections and Sections 16, 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for terrorism. Held in Ajmer high-security jail; trial before the NIA special court is ongoing.[3]
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