Jai Ram Thakur Wants An NIA Investigation In Chamba Chopped Body Case

Jai Ram Thakur, a former chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, ordered on Thursday that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) look into the murder of a man whose body was discovered in Chamba sliced into eight parts from a drain.

To meet the victim’s family, Thakur, who would travel to Chamba alongside state BJP president Rajiv Bindal on Friday, claimed that the current administration has  neglected law and order in the state and that the murder has stoked social unrest.

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the chief minister of Himachal, asked people to work together and discouraged people from seeing the tragedy from a political or sectarian perspective in a statement on Thursday. On June 8, two days after he went missing, the chopped body of 28-year-old Manohar was discovered in a drain in the Bandal panchayat of Salooni. Three people, including a couple, have been detained by police in relation to the homicide. Musafir Hussain, a married man, has been named as the main defendant.

Manohar and Hussain’s niece, a minor, allegedly had a relationship, according to authorities. Hussain’s wife Farida and a man named Shabir have been named as the other two defendants in the case.

On Thursday, Thakur said that Hussain had summoned Manohar to his house and had beaten him with sticks.

After that, he chopped his body into pieces and dumped them in a drain. Addressing media, Thakur alleged that Hussain has a suspicious background and was also questioned by the police in the Satrundi shootout in which terrorists had gunned down 35 people. Seven victims of the shootout are still missing.

Demanding an investigation into the case by the National Investigation Agency, Thakur said Hussain had exchanged cash amounting to Rs 95 lakh after demonetisation and that at present he has Rs 2 crore in his bank account. He said Hussain possesses three bighas of land and has encroached upon 100 bighas of government land. He has 100 cattle but sells over 200 cattle every year, he claimed.

In addition, Thakur claimed that Hussain never leaves his home, even when the region is covered in 6 to 10 feet of snow and the other villagers migrate lower, because it is built at an elevation of over 10,000 feet.

The opposition leader in the state assembly claimed that the Congress was intervening in the case to protect the offender who had influence over his community.

He urged the residents of Chamba to preserve intercommunal unity as he made these remarks.

The BJP representative also requested an explanation from Sukhu regarding his claim that the Congress defeated the BJP in Himachal, a state with a 99.9% Hindu majority.

Sukhu promised the victim’s family all support and stated that the law would take its course.

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