Haryana: Slain Nafe Singh Rathee's Sons Get 'Threat Calls' Days After INLD Leader's Death, Probe On

The two sons of slain INLD leader Nafe Singh Rathee received threat calls from an unknown number asking them not to speak to the media about the murder.

Days after Nafe Singh Rathee, the president of Indian National Lok Dal's Haryana unit, was shot dead, his two sons allegedly received threat calls from an unknown number on Thursday, asking them not to speak to the media about the murder, as reported by news agency PTI. After the alleged threat calls, the police said that a probe had been launched into the matter.

Rathee was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Jhajjar's Bahadurgarh on Sunday. According to PTI, the nephew of the slain leader, Kapoor Singh Rathee, said that his uncle's elder son Bhupinder and younger son Jatinder have received 18 threat calls from an unknown number. "The caller also sent us a picture of a weapon, which he claimed he would use to eliminate the family if we did not stop talking to the media," Kapoor Singh Rathee said over the phone from Bahadurgarh, as quoted by PTI.

Kapoor Singh Rathee also said that Bhupinder's wife is a councillor, while Jatinder is also a councillor in Bahadurgarh. On Thursday, Jhajjar police stated that they were verifying a post on social media, purportedly by UK-based gangster Kapil Sangwan, claiming responsibility for the killing of Nafe Singh Rathee.

Rathee and INLD worker Jai Kishan were killed when unidentified assailants sprayed their vehicle with bullets. The attack came ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

The attack drew sharp reactions from the opposition parties in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state. Jhajjar police said they are verifying the social media post, purportedly by Sangwan, claiming responsibility for the killing. The post also claimed that Rathee had a close friendship with Sangwan's rival gangster.

A Jhajjar police official said, "We are verifying the post and claims made therein." The official further stated that so far, 15 people have been booked in the murder case. Kapoor Singh Rathee, however, dismissed the possibility of any gang rivalry angle behind the two murders when asked to comment on the social media post purportedly by Sangwan.

"Rathee sahab had never received any threat from any gang, nor did he have any enmity with any gang or gangster. I think it is a tactic that the accused may be playing to mislead the investigators. If one would have noticed, the Facebook account was activated barely a couple of hours before the post was uploaded. Hours later, when the post went viral, the account was closed," he said, as quoted by PTI.

In the FIR registered on Monday, police have named former BJP MLA Naresh Kaushik and others. It also mentioned five unnamed accused. According to PTI, the case was registered under various Indian Penal Code sections, including 302 (murder) and the Arms Act.

In his police complaint, Nafe Singh Rathee's nephew Rakesh said five unidentified killers, who were following them in a car, came out and fired indiscriminately near the Barahi railway crossing, as reported by PTI.