Former Bahadurgarh MLA Naresh Kaushik has been accused of murder and conspiracy in the death of Nafe Singh Rathee, their rivalry extending through successive electoral contests.
BJP MLA Booked In INLD Chief’s Murder
Naresh Kaushik, a former BJP MLA, now faces charges of murder and conspiracy related to the demise of Nafe Singh Rathee, the Haryana chief of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), with whom he had engaged in electoral rivalry. Kaushik, aged 57, was recently appointed as the coordinator for the Rohtak parliamentary constituency by the BJP.
Rathee, who served as the Bahadurgarh MLA from 1996 to 2005 and had a three-decade association with the INLD, switched allegiance to the BJP in 2014 after being denied an Assembly election ticket by the INLD. Despite his move, Rathee was overlooked by the BJP, which fielded Kaushik instead. Rathee contested independently, securing fourth place with over 20,000 votes, while Kaushik emerged victorious against Rajender Kumar Joon of the Congress.
In 2018, Rathee rejoined the INLD and contested the Assembly elections the following year, where Kaushik ran on a BJP ticket. However, the 2019 elections saw the Congress’s Rajender Joon clinch victory, with Rathee finishing third.
The family of Rathee has accused local BJP leaders of his murder, alleging that Kaushik had a hand in numerous cases filed against Rathee’s relatives before his death.
Rathee, hailing from the village of Lova Khurd near Bahadurgarh, declared assets worth Rs 3.29 crore and liabilities close to Rs 25 lakh in his election affidavit.
The Opposition seized upon the incident, branding it a “political murder” and questioning why Rathee was not provided with adequate security. Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda of the Congress demanded a CBI investigation into the matter.
State Home Minister Anil Vij asserted that the state police was fully capable of investigating the case but expressed willingness to hand it over to the CBI if the House insisted.
Subsequently, the government announced its decision to transfer the case to the central agency.
INLD chief Nafe Singh Rathee was killed in broad daylight by unknown shooters in Haryana yesterday.
Stay tuned to Panchayiti
;
Leave a Reply