Train Overpass, Then Gunfire: How The INLD Chief Was Ambushed

Nafe Singh Rathi, the head of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), was traveling in an SUV when a car pulled up to it at a railway crossing yesterday. After five guys disembarked, the INLD leader’s Toyota Fortuner was hit by a barrage of gunshots. The shooting claimed the lives of Rathi, 66, and one of his assistants, leaving two more seriously wounded.

Currently, police are searching for the i20 vehicle that the murderers may have driven. The SUV is seen approaching the railway crossing, and the automobile can be seen following it on CCTV video from the Jhajjar district of Haryana.

His nephew was driving, and Mr. Rathi was seated in the front. Jaikishan Dalal, the leader of the INLD, and a gunner assigned to his protection were at the back. About 20 shots were fired, most of which were directed at the main target, according to police sources.

Hours after the incident sent shockwaves throughout the state, NDTV paid a visit to the location this morning. There were glass fragments on the ground from the car’s windows. The route to Mr. Rathi’s residence in Bahadurgarh passes by the railway crossing at Barahi. The assassins, according to the authorities, used the fact that it was closed at the time to finish their mission. According to police sources, the assault seemed to have been executed by experts.

A murder complaint has been filed against BJP politician Naresh Kaushik as well as a number of Saroj Rathi’s family members, the chairwoman of the Bahadurgarh Municipal Corporation.

Five squads under the direction of two DSP-rank officials are looking into the death, according to senior police officer Arpit Jain. “We will trace the killers at the earliest,” he said.

“Not a single offender in this case will escape punishment. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said yesterday that police have been ordered to apprehend the culprits as quickly as possible and to implement the harshest feasible measures.

The opposition has blamed a breakdown in Haryana’s law and order situation and attacked the state administration. Leader of the INLD Abhay Chautala said that despite having “asked for it in writing” months before, Mr. Rathi was not given protection. Regarding the event, the Manohar Lal Khattar administration was also singled out by the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party.

Last year, a case involving Mr. Rathi’s involvement in suicide made headlines. Jagdish, the son of former Haryana minister Mange Ram Rathi, committed suicide, and Mr. Rathi was charged with aiding and abetting. Mr. Rathi and his nephew Sonu were also accused of being harassed. On January 24, 2018, the High Court granted anticipatory bail to the INLD leader.