'Police not getting free hand': Digvijay in schoolteacher murder case

Hitting out at Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) leader Digvijay Chautala alleged that the police were not being given a "free hand", leading to delays in justice in the murder case of 19-year-old schoolteacher Manisha.

A resident of Dhani Laxman village in Bhiwani district, Manisha, went missing from her home on August 11. Her body, with her throat slit, was found near a canal in Singhani village on August 13. The police have so far failed to arrest or identify the killers, and the motive remains unknown.

In response, the Haryana Government transferred Bhiwani SP Manbir Singh and suspended five police personnel, including the SHO of Loharu police station, for alleged negligence.

Comparing the incident to the Nirbhaya case of Delhi, Digvijay strongly criticised the state government. He said he felt deeply ashamed and that society as a whole shared the pain. He alleged that CM Saini was more focused on “directions from Delhi” than on ensuring justice in Haryana, indirectly suggesting he lacked the strength to take independent decisions.

“The Chief Minister has failed to give a free hand to the police. Otherwise, justice would have been delivered to Manisha by now,” Chautala said, urging Saini to learn from leaders like Chaudhary Devi Lal, Om Prakash Chautala, Bhajan Lal and Bansi Lal, who were known for their strong administrative grip.

He further alleged that instead of standing with the people, the Chief Minister remained confined to his office and made frequent helicopter visits. The hurried transfer of the Bhiwani SP, he claimed, indicated an attempt to give the case a “different colour.”

Chautala warned that the people of Haryana had taken it upon themselves to secure justice for Manisha and would not allow the case to be hushed up by framing innocents instead of catching the real culprits. He described Haryana DGP Shatrujit Kapoor as a capable officer, but said the police were not being given the freedom to act.

Despite suspensions and transfers, he pointed out, justice had not been delivered even five days after the incident. He demanded that the Chief Minister should apologise to the people of Haryana and act decisively to bring the culprits to justice.