Nafe Singh Rathi, the head of the Indian National Lok Dal's Haryana unit, was shot and killed this evening in Bahadurgarh, Jhajjar district, by unknown assailants while he was driving an SUV. Opposition parties have reacted sharply to the incident, which occurred months before the Lok Sabha elections, and claimed that law and order had broken down in the BJP-ruled state. INLD leader Abhay Chautala has claimed that six months ago, Rathi gave in writing that his life was in danger but "no security was provided to him".

"I hold the state government responsible for this because six months ago, Nafe Singh Rathi told me that the police informed him that his life was in danger and he could be attacked anytime. I spoke to the SP about it. He wrote to the SP, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, and DG that they must investigate this and provide him with security but no security was provided to him," he claimed

Asking for a CBI probe into the incident, Mr Chautala said, "Those who need the security are not getting it, instead, those who are accused in several cases are getting it. So I clearly hold the Chief Minister responsible for this incident. If someone is giving in writing that his life is under threat, then the Chief Minister should have conducted an investigation and provided him with security. We will demand that a CBI investigation should be done in this and the accused should be punished.”

On gangster Lawrence Bishnoi being linked to the attack, he said that this is the government's ploy to "save itself".

The opposition Congress and Aam Aadmi Party also hit out at the Manohar Lal Khattar government over the incident.

Senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, "The news of INLD state president Nafe Singh Rathee being shot dead in Haryana is very sad. This reflects the law and order of the state...Today no one is feeling safe in the state." Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sushil Gupta said that "rule of law has ended in Haryana and jungle raj prevails".

The 67-year-old INLD leader was in an SUV when attackers in a car assaulted him in Bahadurgarh town, located in Jhajjar district. "A volley of bullets was sprayed at him," Abhay Chautala said.

Rathee had severe blood loss and injuries to his neck, stomach, spine, and thighs, according to hospital doctors. Rathee was elected MLA from the Bahadurgarh seat twice in 1996 and 2005.

Expressing shock at the incident, Manohar Lal Khattar said that every individual involved in this case will face consequences. He emphasized that the police have been directed to swiftly apprehend the accused and take the most stringent actions against them.

“My deepest condolences to the bereaved family, we are with them in this difficult time. Not a single culprit involved in this case will be spared. Police have been instructed to arrest the accused as soon as possible and take strictest action,” the chief minister posted in Hindi on X on Sunday night.

Jhajjar Superintendent of Police Arpit Jain told the media that the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) and the Special Task Force (STF) of the police were looking into the incident.

Image source: ANI