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BJP stages sit-in protest across Himachal, demands NIA probe in Salooni murder case
The party submitted a memorandum to governor Shiv Pratap Shukla demanding National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the incident that flared up communal tensions in the Chamba districts’ salooni tehsil
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a statewide sit-in protest on Saturday to condemn the murder of its 25-year-old party worker, Manohar Lal, who was killed brutally over a “inter-community love affair”. His body was chopped into pieces and was dumped in a water stream at Bhandal village in the Salooni subdivision of Chamba district last week.
The party submitted a memorandum to governor Shiv Pratap Shukla demanding National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the incident that flared up communal tensions in the Chamba districts’ salooni tehsil.
State party chief Rajeev Bindal said a memorandum was sent to the governor through deputy commissioner at the district level regarding the brutal murder of a youth in Salooni in Chamba district.
In the memorandum, BJP apprised the governor that Manohar Lal, member of the party hailed from gram panchayat bhandal of Chamba district in Tharoli village, which is located at a distance of 60 km from the district centre. The party drew the governor’s attention towards his murder which had led to communal tension in Salooni as well as in other parts of the state.
“I would like to draw your kind attention to the brutal murder of Manohar Lal. As per people of the village, on June 6 at 7 am, the accused family members called Manohar to their house, brutally murdered him, cut his body into eight pieces and threw in a nearby stream adjacent to the village. After being identified on June 9, the last rites were performed on the following day,” said state party chief Rajeev Bindal.
BJP also questioned the background of the family whose hand has been told to be behind the incident. BJP accused the administration of failing to take strict action and claimed that the family members already destroyed much evidence linking to murder. The party claimed that the prime accused encroached on hundred of bighas of land illegally. BJP demanded an NIA investigation against the prime accused as the party claimed that the prime accused was involved in many suspicious activities.
The opposition party demanded a departmental inquiry into the land occupied by the members of the prime accused and should be vested back into the government. Through the memorandum government also sought a financial investigation for Manohar Lal.
BJP in-charge for party affairs Avinash Rai Khanna, party in-charge demanded a National Human Right Commission intervention into the matter.
