Nafe Singh Rathee Murder: Former BJP MLA and 11 Others Booked by Police

On 25 February 2024, Nafe Singh Rathee who was the president of Haryana’s Indian National Lok Dal(INLD), was Shot Dead by unidentified gunmen in Jhajjar’s Bahadurgarh while traveling in his SUV, despite receiving immediate medical attention, the attempt to save him was failed because of excessive bleeding.

Nafe Singh Rathee was also a former MLA  and a prominent Jat leader having a diverse political career, he initially joined the BJP in 2014 and later contested independently. He returned to the INLD and Concurrently served as the chairman of Bahadurgarh Municipal Council.

Family members and supporters of Nafe Singh Rathee have declared that they will not proceed with the cremation of the bodies of the INLD leader and his security team member Jai Kishan, who also lost his life in the attack until the culprits are arrested. Additionally, on Monday, they staged a road blockade in front of the Bahadurgarh civil hospital, where the bodies are currently kept.

Nafe Singh’s son, Jitendra Rathee, alleges the participation of local BJP leaders and urges prompt action from the authorities. He also claims that despite multiple pleas for security the police failed to provide sufficient protection. Kapoor Rathee, Nafee Singh’s nephew, also emphasized the importance of justice before any post-mortem procedure.

In the Nafe Singh murder case, the police have filed charges against 12 individuals, including former Bahadurgarh BJP MLA Naresh Kaushik, Former Bahadurgarh Municipal Council chairperson & Saroj Rathee’s husband Ramesh Rathee, her close relatives Karambir Rathee and Kamal Rathee, former minister Mange Ram Rathee’s son Satish Numberdar, grandson Gaurav, Rahul, and five unknown assailants. They face charges of murder and conspiracy.

The FIR was filed based on the complaint lodged by Nafe Singh Rathee’s nephew and driver, Rakesh. Rakesh was driving a white Fortuner when unidentified assailants in a Hyundai i10 attacked Nafe Singh and the others in the vehicle, according to the police.

According to the complaint, INLD leader Nafe Singh Rathee was in the front seat, accompanied by two security personnel, Sanjeet and Jai Kishan, in the back seat. Rakesh noticed a car tailing them and attempted to accelerate, but had to halt due to a closed railway crossing gate. After the car came to a stop, five attackers armed with pistols stepped out.

Rakesh said “The attacker mentioned that they were teaching us a lesson for having a dispute with Satish, Karambir Rathee, and Naresh Kaushik. They fired at us, and one of them approached me, saying, ‘I am leaving you alive. Inform their family that they’ll face consequences if they even go to court against Naresh Kaushik, Karambir Rathee, Satish Rathee, Gaurav Rathee, Rahul, and Kamal,”

He added “I saw my uncle, Nafe Singh, and Jai Kishan had already passed away, while Sanjeet was in a critical condition,” and mentioned that a person took them to a private hospital in Bahadurgarh and informed the police that those mentioned in his complaint had conspired and were responsible for the murders.

The police suspect gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his close associate Kala Jathedi may be behind the attack, with property disputes being the suspected motive.

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On Monday, 26 Feb, a CCTV camera footage surfaced that shows the movements of the assailants in a Hyundai i10 vehicle moments before they attacked the SUV of Nafe Singh Rathee, the Haryana chief of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).

Shooters of Haryana INLD Chief Nafe Singh Rathi captured on CCtV. This is from moment before his SUV was ambushed by gunmen. pic.twitter.com/lMkaajAguN

— Raj Shekhar Jha (@rajshekharx) February 26, 2024

The opposition in Haryana raised concerns over Nafe Singh’s murder during the Assembly session on Monday. Terming it a “political killing,” they demanded an inquiry by a sitting high court judge. In January 2023, Nafe Singh and five others were accused in the suicide case of BJP leader Jagdish Numberdar. However, senior INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala claimed that it was also a part of a political conspiracy.