Bhiwani teacher’s murder sparks protests, demand for CBI probe

The brutal murder of 19-year-old schoolteacher Manisha in Loharu subdivision of Bhiwani district has triggered widespread outrage, with political leaders, khaps, and social organisations mounting pressure on the police to crack the case at the earliest. The state government has transferred SP Manbir Singh for negligence, handing over charge to Sumit Kumar, even as police teams continue to grope for leads.

Manisha, a resident of Dhani Laxman village, went missing on August 11 after visiting Singhani village college campus to collect an admission form for a nursing course. She worked as a teacher in a nearby playschool. Vazir Singh, a social activist who has been sitting on a dharna in Dighawan for justice to Manisha, told ‘The Tribune’ that on that evening, she made a call to her father around 6 pm, but no conversation could take place before her phone was switched off. Alarmed, her father immediately dialled the 112 helpline. Police reached the campus with him, but three employees present there offered little information.

Two days later, her body was found near a canal in Singhani with her throat slit — only a small portion of her neck spared. Police sources revealed cut marks on her throat and injuries around her eyes, suggesting animals may have fed on parts of the body. While the preliminary post-mortem has ruled out sexual assault, viscera samples have been sent to the forensic laboratory in Madhuban for further examination.

Meanwhile, anger has been spilling over onto the streets. In Siwani, thousands of farmers, traders, labourers, and women marched from the bus stand to the tehsil office. Markets remained shut in solidarity as protesters demanded a CBI inquiry, Rs 1 crore compensation for the victim’s family, and a fast-track trial.

Expressing solidarity with the agitating villagers in Dhigawa, Cabinet Minister Shruti Chaudhry assured strict action. “The officers who failed in their duty have been suspended. The Chief Minister himself is monitoring the case, and the police are working relentlessly to identify and arrest the killers,” she said while meeting the bereaved family.

Khap leaders too have issued a strong warning. Terming the incident “a stigma on society,” Sangwan Khap leaders Sombir Sangwan and Nar Singh Sangwan sought a high-level probe and immediate arrests. “Manisha was not only a teacher but a guiding light for society. Her murder has shaken us all,” they said, cautioning that if justice was delayed, the community would be compelled to launch statewide protests.