‘First political murder in Haryana’; Congress demands high court-monitored CBI probe into Nafe Rathi 's killing - Punjabi News

Published on: 26 Feb 2024 at 12:30 PM

‘First political murder in Haryana’; Congress demands high court-monitored CBI probe into Nafe Rathi ‘s killing

Published by: PreetiMahajan

Chandigarh, February 26

The Congress on Monday described the killing of Indian National Lok Dal’s (INLD) Haryana unit president Nafe Singh Rathi as the state’s “first political murder” and demanded a probe into the incident either by a high court judge or a high court judge-monitored CBI investigation.

Senior Congress leader Raghuvir Singh Kadian said Rathi’s death was not natural.

“It is a political murder and the first such incident in Haryana after it was carved out as a separate state (in 1966),” Kadian said in the Assembly.

At the beginning of the day’s proceedings, the Haryana Assembly paid tributes to former Lok Sabha speaker Manohar Joshi, who died recently.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also led the House in paying tributes to Rathi.

While paying his homage, Kadian said Rathi came from a farmer family and rose to become an MLA after a lot of struggle in his life.

Kadian demanded that the culprits behind Rathi’s killing be arrested and given exemplary punishment.

“Either a probe by a high court judge or a high court judge-monitored CBI probe should be held into the incident,” the Congress leader said.

He said Rathi and he came from the same district — Jhajjar — and the slain INLD leader had a keen interest in wrestling and other sports.

Rathi was travelling in a sports utility vehicle (SUV) on Sunday when the assailants, who were in a car, attacked him in Jhajjar’s Bahadurgarh town, near Delhi.

Rathi and an INLD worker were killed when the assailants sprayed the SUV with bullets.

The attack, which came with less than two months to go for the Lok Sabha polls, drew sharp reactions from opposition parties, which alleged a breakdown in law and order in Haryana.

Khattar said not a single culprit involved in the case would be spared, adding that police had been asked to arrest the accused as soon as possible and take strictest action.

Senior INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala accused the BJP-led government of failing to provide security to Rathi, despite there being a threat to his life. He also demanded a CBI probe into the incident.

The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party also hit out at the Khattar government over the incident.