Chandigarh: In a shocking incident, Haryana Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) state chief Nafe Singh Rathee and one of his associates were shot dead by unknown assailants in Bahadurgarh area of Jhajjar district on Sunday evening.
The sensational crime which took place when Rathee, a two-time in 1996 and 2005 from Bahadurgarh - was going in his SUV along with his party workers in the Bahadurgarh town when he was waylaid by a group of unidentified car-borne assailants who rained bullets on them killing the two on the spot and injuring others. The other deceased was said to have been identified as Jai Kishan.
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The Jhajjar superintendent of police (SP) Arpit Jain said that the police was looking into the case and was hopeful of arresting the accused shortly.
The incident put the ruling chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP-Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) combine government in a tight spot at a time when the state assembly’s budget session is in progress and which has seen uproar over the issue of deteriorating law and order situation.
Taking to X, party leader Abhay Chautala said that the entire INLD family was shocked because of the sensational incident. Stating that Rathee had recently met the chief minister, home minister and DGP, apprised them about the threat to his life and sought security, Abhay Chautala regretted that he was not given the same in spite of it.
Alleging that the incident showed a complete ``jungle raj’’ prevailed in Haryana INLD spokesperson Rakesh Sihag told FPJ that it was the first time in the history of Haryana that the president of a political party had been shot dead.
Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda also expressed deep grief over the killing of the former MLA and said that it showed that the law and order situation had collapsed in the state and no one was feeling secure in the state.
Meanwhile, it may be recalled that in January 2023, Haryana police had booked Rathee and five others in connection with the alleged suicide by a local BJP leader Jagdish Numberdar, son of a former minister Mange Ram Numberdar, though Abhay Chautala had then held that the FIR was lodged as a part of political conspiracy.
It may also be recalled that Rathee had switched to BJP in 2014 after he was denied ticket by INLD from Bahadurgarh but when BJP also refused him ticket, he returned to INLD in 2018. Abhay Chautala made him INLD chief in 2020.
