Haryana Congress Worker Himani Narwal Found Dead, Body Stuffed in Suitcase; Party Seeks High-Level Probe

The body of a Congress worker was discovered stuffed inside a suitcase near a bus stand in Haryana's Rohtak district on Saturday, police reported.

The Congress party has called for a high-level inquiry into the death of 22-year-old Himani Narwal, who had been associated with party MP Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Photo Credit: https://x.com/himani_narwal

The incident occurred just a day before municipal elections were set to take place across 33 bodies in the state, with results expected on 12 March.

The suitcase was spotted near the Sampla bus stand by passers-by, who then alerted the police. Upon receiving the information, police officers and a forensic team arrived at the scene and discovered Narwal's body inside the suitcase.

According to the police, the victim's neck was wrapped with a dupatta, and she had mehendi on her hands. They suspect that Narwal, a resident of Rohtak's Vijay Nagar area, may have been strangled with the dupatta.

Her body was sent to PGIMS Rohtak for a post-mortem examination.

Narwal had shared several photographs of herself on social media alongside former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's son, Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda, and party MLA BB Batra.

Congress Demands Investigation

Reacting to the incident, BB Batra called for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the case, stating that Narwal was an active participant in every Congress programme.

Vijendra Singh, the in-charge of Sampla police station, confirmed that an investigation had been launched after he and his team arrived at the scene. He added that a case had been registered, and further action would follow after the post-mortem examination.

Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda described Narwal's murder as "barbaric" and "shocking," demanding a high-level and impartial inquiry.

"The news of the barbaric murder of Congress worker Himani Narwal in Rohtak is extremely sad and shocking. I pay my tribute to the departed soul and express my deepest condolences to the family members. This in itself is a blot on the law and order situation of the state," he tweeted in Hindi.

"There must be a high-level, impartial investigation into this murder. The government should ensure justice for the victim's family as soon as possible and impose the harshest punishment on the culprits," he added.