- By Kamal Kumar
- Mon, 26 Feb 2024 03:38 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Nafe Singh Rathee Murder: The daylight murder of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) Haryana chief Nafe Singh Rathee has shocked the state with politicians across the party line condemning the brutal incident. While the police have launched a probe to nab the culprits behind the attack, state Home Minister Anil Vij directed a CBI investigation into the case. Meanwhile, the son of the slain INLD politician came out and made serious allegations against a BJP leader's relative.
One year before INLD leader Nafe Singh Rathee was killed in Haryana's Jhajjar district, he was accused of playing a part in the suicide of a BJP leader. Now, Rathee's family says that the BJP leader's family planned to murder him.
The BJP leader, suicide and an audio note
One year ago in January, Jagdish Rathi, a BJP leader from Bahadurgarh, took his own life. The son of former Haryana minister Mange Ram Nambardar, Jagdish left an audio note before consuming poison. In the recording, he accused several people, including Nafe Singh Rathee, of grabbing his shop in 2019 and threatening to take over his ancestral land and house. Although a case was filed against Rathee and others, the court later granted him anticipatory bail.
The name of Jagdish's son Gaurav and brother Satish featured in the complaint that Nafe's son filed to the police. The list also includes BJP leader Narendra Kaushik, and a few relatives of Bahadurgarh municipal corporation chairperson Saroj Rathi as learnt by Dainik Jagran. The accused has been slapped with various sections relating to murder and criminal conspiracy under the IPC and CrPC. A few provisions of the Arms Act have also been invoked against them.
Nafe's whole family was on target
"I was also under watch. I stopped going to the gym. My brothers were followed. Several attempts were made to target my father but God protected him, but the killer needs only one opportunity," Nafe's son Jitendra said in an interaction with NDTV.
Jitendra also informed the press about how they demanded security cover for his father, but their pleas were left unheard by the administration.
"He had sent written applications to everyone, including the DGP, CID, principal secretary and the Home Ministry, seeking security for our family. But they kept denying our request. So, the state government is also involved in the conspiracy behind my father's killing," he alleged.
The son of the INLD leader claimed that the murder involved local BJP leaders. He pointed out that the use of sophisticated weapons in the shooting indicated that the assailants had received sufficient funds.
Nafe Singh Rathee, the head of INLD in Haryana, was on his way home to Bahadurgarh when the incident occurred. His SUV came to a halt near a railway crossing, and a car pulled up, with five gunmen opening fire on Rathi and other passengers of the Fortuner car. Unfortunately, Rathi and one of his associates lost their lives, while two others sustained severe injuries.