Haryana assembly session: Nikita murder case to be fast tracked, says Anil Vij

Vij said the state government was also deliberating on enacting a law to check forcible religious conversions.

Haryana home minister Anil Vij on Friday assured the state assembly that the murder of a college student Nikita Tomar by her stalker Tausif in Faridabad will be heard in a fast track court.

Haryana home minister Anil Vij (HT File)

Replying to a calling attention motion on the issue moved by Congress MLA from Faridabad NIT, Neeraj Sharma and INLD MLA Abhay Chautala, the home minister said the special investigation team (SIT) constituted to probe the killing will also look into the possibility of love-jihaad angle.

Vij said the state government was also deliberating on enacting a law to check forcible religious conversions. He said the state government is also compiling information about instances where forced religious conversions took place to give effect to an interfaith wedding.

Congress MLA from Faridabad NIT, Neeraj Sharma said the SIT probing the murder case should be headed by an officer of the rank of inspector general (IG) or additional DGP since there is a suspicion of involvement of a senior police official too. “The trial should be conducted by a fast-track court,” he said.

Vij said an FIR pertaining to kidnapping registered on Nikita’s complaint in 2018 was withdrawn by the police. “If that criminal case was not spiked, Nikita probably would have been alive. The accused in the murder case is related to a powerful political family. I have asked the police to investigate the matter from 2018 when that FIR was registered,” he said.

INLD MLA Abhay Chautala said the government needs to ensure that adequate security is provided at women colleges and examination centres.