Haryana INLD Chief Killed Today, Told About Threat Months Ago: Party Leader

The Indian National Lok Dal's Haryana unit president Nafe Singh Rathi was killed this evening when unidentified men fired at the SUV he was travelling by in Bahadurgarh in Jhajjar district. The attack, which came months before the Lok Sabha elections, is drawing sharp reactions from opposition parties, which alleged a breakdown in law and order 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 government is trying to save itself by taking the name of the Lawrance gang, but if what they are saying is true then why didn't they provide any security," he said.

The men came in a car and fired indiscriminately at the SUV Nafe Singh Rathi was travelling by. He was immediately taken to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

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".

"No one is safe in Haryana today," he added.

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij has instructed the officials to take immediate action in the case.