Chamba murder: BJP demands NIA investigation; Himachal CM urges to refrain from giving communal colour

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 16 : The political temperature rose in Himachal Pradesh after the murder of a 21-year-old man in Chamba in the state last week.

While, Bharatiya Janata Party has alleged the involvement of the main accused in "anti-national activities", Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu has urged the politicians to refrain from giving any political colour to the case.

"The law and order situation in the state is not good. An incident occurred in Chamba, where Manohar, a Hindu Dalit was murdered. He went missing on June 6. Later, his body was found in a drain and his body was cut into eight pieces. Such incidents are rare in this state," BJP leader and former CM Jai Ram Thakur said on Thursday.

He further alleged that the ruling party people are trying to influence the case and that the main accused "could be involved" in anti-national activities

"Influential people are trying to help him. The influential leaders of the ruling party are also trying to divert the issue. They should be exposed. BJP demanded that this matter should be investigated by the NIA. He (main accused) could be involved in anti-national activities. We will visit Chamba tomorrow. I want to ask the Chief Minister to clarify what did he meant when he said that Congress has won elections in 99 per cent Hindu populated state," the BJP leader said.

"This matter is not a normal issue; the accused is a suspect in many other cases. If the investigation is done through the NIA, the matter would be resolved. A normal person could not cut the body of a person into eight pieces. He has done a huge amount of transactions of Rs 95 lakh during demonetization. During the 1998 massacre and terrorist attack in the Satrundi area of Chamba, 35 people were killed and 7 are still missing. The main accused in this case was also a suspect in the 1998 case," he said in a press conference.

Reacting to BJP's allegations, Chief Minister Sukhu said that the government is ready for any investigation if the former CM provides any evidence.

"If Jai Ram Thakur provides any evidence on the allegations, the government is ready for any demand. BJP should not give it a political colour as they would not get any political benefit from this. There is no scope for communal colour. The Muslim community is very small in number here, and even if BJP wants CBI or NIA investigation on the matter we are open for all".

"I think whatever has happened was very unfortunate, the accused have been arrested. There should not be any atmosphere of fear, I got to know that the houses have been burnt, it is not good," he said.

Sukhu said that the accused have been arrested and no political colour should be given to the case.

"The culture of the state does not allow this. The tourist season is also at its peak, so that should also be kept in mind. Anyone be it Hindu, Muslim, Christian or be it Buddhist it is my duty to provide safety and security to them. The law and order is in place, I am taking a meeting with the officials and I also appeal to the political parties to appeal for peace," the CM said.

The matter pertains to the brutal murder of a man, whose body was found in a mutilated condition on June 9. Five people, including the main accused, were arrested.

"A brutal murder took place in Chamba district and we found the mutilated body on June 9. We have already arrested all five accused in the matter and they all are members of a family. Today, a mob tried to set a house, which was vacated, on fire. The protesters tried to vandalise the SDPO's vehicle as well," Abhishek Trivedi, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), told reporters on Thursday.

"The victim was a Hindu and there are allegations that he was in a relationship with a girl from the minority community. The situation is tense but under control. Some political leaders are expected to visit the area in the coming days. We have put the force on alert but there have been no communal incidents as yet. We are holding an investigation and are looking into all possible angles," the ADGP said.

"The chief minister held a meeting with the deputy commissioners and other officials. We were told to alert all police stations in the state and ensure the safety and security of all minorities. The deputy commissioner of Chamba has enforced Section 144 in the Kihar police station area," he added.