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Haryana to hand over Rathee’s murder probe to CBI: Vij
Calling Rathee’s murder a ”first political killing” in Haryana after the state was carved out of Punjab in 1966, the principal Opposition party, the Congress moved an adjournment motion in the assembly, demanding a sitting high court judge-monitored CBI probe into the case.
Haryana home minister Anil Vij on Monday announced in the state assembly that investigation into the murder of Nafe Singh Rathee, state chief of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), will be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Calling Rathee’s murder a ”first political killing” in Haryana after the state was carved out of Punjab in 1966, the principal Opposition party, the Congress moved an adjournment motion in the assembly, demanding a sitting high court judge-monitored CBI probe into the case.
Soon after the Question Hour, Congress sought immediate discussion on law and order under its adjournment motion even as assembly speaker Gian Chand Gupta said this issue could be taken up after finishing the already decided business for the day.
The Congress did not relent, and speaker admitted the adjournment motion. During the heated over an hour debate, the Congress leaders cornered the state government over deteriorating law and order and repeatedly demanded high court judge-monitored CBI probe into Rathee’s killing.
“I assure the members that we will hand over this case to the CBI since this is the wish of the House,” home minister Vij said in the assembly while replying on the adjournment motion.
Describing Rathee’s murder “a very sad incident”, Vij said soon after the shootout took place on Sunday, he contacted all the top police officers concerned and had directed the STF to hold a probe.
Earlier, the Haryana Police on Monday registered a first information report (FIR) under five different sections of the IPC (including 302 and 307) and Arms Act against 12 people, including former Bahadurgarh BJP MLA Naresh Kaushik.
As per the FIR, Rathee, who had served as legislator twice from Bahadurgarh, and a party worker were shot dead in Jhajjar’s Bahadurgarh on Sunday.
The incident took place around 5pm when Rathee, his party colleague Jai Kisan, his nephew Rakesh, alias, Sanjay, who was driving the SUV, and his security person Sanjeet, were passing by the Barahi railway crossing in an SUV when the assailants, who were in a car, attacked him.
Meanwhile, the home minister Vij said Rathee had in writing informed the Jhajjar SP on July 14, 2022, about threat calls he had been receiving. The matter was investigated, and one accused was nabbed from West Bengal, he said.
“But I did not receive any request from him seeking security,” Vij informed the House.
Senior Congress member Raghuvir Singh Kadian spearheaded the offensive against the government after chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar led the House in condoling the demise of Rathee and former Lok Sabha speaker Manohar Joshi.
Soon after Question Hour, Kadian asked the speaker to allow discussion on the adjournment motion on law and order and described Rathee’s killing as the state’s “first political murder”.
Paying tributes to Rathee when the House was condoling the death of Rathee and former Lok Sabha speaker Manohar Joshi, Kadian said Rathee’s death is not a natural death.
“It is a first political murder...” Kadian said.
“Why has Haryana reached this juncture? It will be in the interest of the state if this case is handed over to the CBI and a sitting high court judge should monitor the investigation,” former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, a demand that all other Congress leaders endorsed while speaking on the adjournment motion.
Hooda questioned the silence of the Treasury benches on this issue, saying: “Why are BJP members keeping quiet?”
The murder drew sharp reactions from Congress MLAs such as Kiran Choudhry, Geeta Bhukkal, BB Batra, Neeraj Sharma, Kuldeep Vats, Jagbir Malik, etc, who alleged a breakdown in law and order in the BJP-ruled state.
The deputy leader of the Congress in the House, Aftab Ahmed (Nuh) said Haryana has never ever witnessed rivalries or political murders of this nature.
“The state government has been running away from its responsibility of providing security to the people of the state. The security is not provided even after seeking it... We demand a strong action against those responsible for this security lapse,” Ahmed said.
