 "Himani Narwal’s body was found inside a suitcase near a flyover next to the Sampla bus stand in Rohtak. Image Courtesy: X")
A suspicious suitcase was found lying on the highway in Haryana’s Rohtak district on Sunday.
After arriving at the spot, the police opened the suitcase only to find a woman’s body stuffed inside.
The deceased was identified as Himani Narwal, a Youth Congress worker who rose to fame after participating in Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Her family, who has been demanding justice, has suspected that the murder could be an insider’s job, some party leaders were jealous of her swift rise in party ranks.
Let’s take a closer look.
The murder
Himani Narwal’s body was found inside a suitcase near a flyover next to the Sampla bus stand in Rohtak on March 1.
The 22-year-old, who had been residing in her ancestral house in the district’s Vijaynagar for the past five months, had been missing for three days.
She reportedly attended a wedding on February 27 in Rohtak and was supposed to attend a Congress roadshow in the Kathmandi area on February 28.
Her cell phone has been switched off since then.
According to a preliminary investigation, she was likely assaulted before being strangled to death, police said, as per The Indian Express. The autopsy was conducted in Rohtak’s PGIMS, and the report is awaited.
Rohtak Superintendent of police Narendra Bijarniya was quoted by the publication as saying, “The Rohtak Crime Branch is investigating the case, along with multiple teams of the Rohtak Police. A board of doctors has been constituted for the postmortem examination, which will be videographed.”
Inspector Bijendra Singh, SHO of Sampla police station, said: “We are analysing CCTV footage from the 25-kilometre stretch on National Highway 9, from Rohtak City to Rohad toll plaza. CCTV footage from hotels and dhabas along the stretch are also being checked.”
Further investigation is underway, police said.
Narwal had been associated with Youth Congress for the past few years.
An active person on social media platforms, she has posted several pictures and videos on her account. In one of the videos, she could be seen dancing at a wedding function.
Also read: How murder of man who accused former Telangana CM KCR of corruption has triggered political row
A suspect arrested
The Haryana police said they had arrested a man on charges of murdering Narwal.
The police said that two men were apprehended from Delhi late Sunday and brought to Rohtak for questioning. After a few hours of grilling, one of the two, identified as Sachin, a resident of Haryana’s Bahadurgarh, was placed under arrest.
According to India Today, Narwal’s cell phone was also found in Sachin’s possession during his arrest.
As per the report, Sachin allegedly claimed Narwal has extorted lakhs from him and was demanding more money. He also accused her of blackmailing, due to which he got frustrated and killed her at her residence.
Sachin also reportedly confessed to stuff Narwal’s body in the suitcase and leave it at the bus stand.
Family demands justice
While the autopsy report is awaited, Narwal’s body has been kept at the mortuary after the family refused to collect it.
“One accused has been arrested, and today we will cremate her (Himani Narwal). A lot of rumours are being spread in the media… We will get justice… We want the death penalty for the accused,” her brother Jatin told ANI.
Her mother, Savita Rani, said she was with her daughter until noon on February 27 before leaving for Delhi, where she lives with Jatin. The two were in contact till February 28 evening.
She also previously alleged that the murder could be an insider’s job, since several Congress leaders were jealous of her swift rise.
“It could be anyone in the party who was jealous about her rise, or it could be anyone else,” Rani had said.
Talking to media persons outside the PGIMS mortuary, Rani alleged that some leaders in Congress envied her political rise in a short span. “An enmity was building up because of her political growth. My daughter was very close to the Hooda family,” she said. “My elder son (Kuldeep) was killed in 2011 but we did not get justice in that case too,” she added.
Political row
Haryana Minister and BJP leader Anil Vij, according to The Indian Express, said that the allegations levelled by Narwal’s mother are “serious" and that “to move ahead, push others behind… this is Congress’ old culture.”
He told reporters in Ambala that police are conducting a thorough probe into the murder case.
Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, speaking about the allegations, said, “A culprit is a culprit, whether he is in the party or anyone else. The culprit should be identified and punished as per law. The Congress party stands with Himani’s family in this hour of grief.”
Further slamming the BJP government, he said that increasing crime in Haryana is a matter of serious concern, adding, “Recently, a BSP leader was murdered in Naraingarh, the hometown of the chief minister. Last year, the INLD state chief was killed in Bahadurgarh and a JJP leader was murdered in Hansi. Earlier, more than six MLAs in the state received extortion threats.”
Rohtak Congress MLA B B Batra has demanded a high-level investigation and said, “She was a Congress worker. This brutal murder should be investigated by a special investigation team (SIT). It is unfortunate that such a gruesome act was committed on Himani.”
With inputs from agencies