Shreya Varanasi, Pune
Haryana Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) president and a former MLA, Nafe Singh Rathee, 66 was shot dead in Bahadurgarh, Jhajjar district on Sunday evening. Reportedly, unidentified gunmen ambushed his SUV and killed him along with another party leader. Two other people are said to have been critically injured.
Rathee and his associates were traveling by Jhajjar district in an SUV when the unidentified gunmen arrived in a car and opened fire revealed INLD spokesperson Rakesh Sihag told The Indian Express. The men immediately left the scene after the attack. The former MLA was rushed to the nearest hospital for treatment, however, he was reportedly declared dead on arrival.
According to Sihag, three private security men were also shot and hospitalised as a result of the attack.
A doctor who treated the injured at the hospital stated that four persons had arrived with bullet injuries. He added that two of them died due to heavy bleeding while the remaining two were admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU). They had injuries to the shoulder, thigh, and left side of the chest.
Abhay Chautala, a leader of the INLD, demanded the resignations of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and State Home Minister Anil Vij, accusing them of neglecting to protect Rathee even when there was a threat to his life. “The two-time MLA, who is our state unit chief, was not given security,” Chautala told PTI. He claimed that Rathee had written to senior police personnel and the state home minister requesting security since he was under threat.
Meanwhile, while condoling Nafe Singh Rathee’s death, CM Manohar Lal Khattar vowed that not a single culprit involved in the case will be spared. He further stated that the police have been told to apprehend the accused as soon as possible and take the strictest action. The state’s Home Minister Anil Vij, who had previously served with Rathee in the Assembly, said he has directed officers to take prompt action in the case.
Nafe Singh Rathee was elected as the MLA from Bahadurgarh, the place where he was shot, twice – in 1996 and 2005. Rathee previously ran for Lok Sabha from the Rohtak constituency and was active in politics. His death in the shootout received sharp reactions from opposition parties who alleged a collapse in law and order in the BJP-ruled state.