In a startling incident, the body of a woman Congress worker was found stuffed inside a suitcase in Haryana's Rohtak prompting a massive political row on Saturday. Confirming the deceased to be a party worker, Congress demanded a "high-level probe into the murder."
The political row erupted after Congress MLA Bharat Bhushan Batra alleged that the deceased was a Congress worker, Himani Narwal. He said that she had accompanied the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Batra added that Narwal was pretty active with Bhupinder Hooda and Deepinder Hooda during the election campaign.
Meanwhile, Haryana Congress president Bhupinder Singh Hooda has strongly condemned the incident, calling it a "blot on the law and order situation of the state." He has also demanded a "high-level" and "impartial" probe into the incident.
"The news of the barbaric murder of active Congress worker Himani Narwal in Rohtak is extremely sad and shocking. I pay my tribute to the departed soul and express my deepest condolences to the family members. The murder of a girl in this manner and finding her body in a suitcase is extremely sad and shocking. This in itself is a blot on the law and order situation of the state," Hooda said in a post on X.
Reacting to the incident, "Election and party claimed my daughter's life. She made some enemies due to that. These (perpetrators) could be even from the party, they could be her friends too."
She further said, "We received a phone call from Police Station (regarding the incident). My daughter was very close to Asha Hooda (wife of Bhupinder Singh Hooda), I won't perform her last rites until she gets justice...Yes there was (a family dispute), we lived in a little fear. I took my son to BSF camp from here."
Elder son killed in 2011
Himani's mother said, "My elder son was killed in 2011 and we never received justice. So, I took him (another son) to BSF camp to save his life...After election, she had become a little disillusioned with the party. She said that she wanted a job and that she didn't want to work much for the party...She was associated with Congress for the past 10 years. She had also agreed to get married. She was pursuing LL.B...I had called up Asha Hooda in the morning but my phone call was not received."
Notably on Friday, the body of the deceased was found in a big blue suitcase near the Sampla bus stand, following which information regarding this was provided to the Sampla police station.
The State Forensics Laboratory (SFL) team reached the crime scene, and after investigation, it was found that the age of the deceased was between 20 and 22 years. She had a scarf wrapped around her neck and mehendi on her hands.
Sampla police station SHO Bijendra Singh informed that prima facie it seemed the girl was murdered and her body was thrown on the road, and further investigation is being carried out.
He said, "We received information that a dead body has been found in a suitcase on the side of the highway and we are investigating this matter. It seems that this girl has been murdered and her dead body has been thrown here, we are investigating the rest and further action will be taken after registering a case. She is between 20 and 22 years old and the body has just been found, we will identify it and take further action."
(With ANI Inputs)