Nafe Singh Rathi's murder: Sordid saga of political ambition, amity & rivalry

Bahadurgarh, February 27

INLD state chief Nafe Singh Rathi (66), who was gunned down by unidentified assailants here on Sunday evening, and former Bahadurgarh MC chief Karambir Rathi, a suspect in the murder case, were friends once, but a dispute over a plot located at DIG Colony drove a wedge between them.

Property dispute

A property dispute over a plot located at DIG Colony drove a wedge between Nafe Singh Rathi and former Bahadurgarh MC chief Karambir Rathi. The dispute between the families is sub judice

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Belonging to Jatwada Mohalla here, both were elected councillors and later became chairperson, too. The next generation of both families are also active in politics of local bodies.

Nafe Singh’s son Jitender and daughter-in-law are councillors while his brother Puran is a former councillor. Nafe’s nephew Kapoor Rathi is also a part of Bahadurgarh politics.

Karambir and his nephew Ramesh Rathi are also active in politics. Ramesh’s wife Saroj is the chairperson of the Bahadurgarh MC. Ramesh, too, had contested the municipal elections.

They have a close rapport with local BJP leaders and former Bahadurgarh MLA Naresh Kaushik. Karambir, his son Kamal, nephew and Kaushik have been named in an FIR registered in connection with Nafe Singh’s murder. The property dispute between the two families is sub judice.

Nafe Singh had been a controversial figure and kept moving ahead to fulfil his political ambitions. He and his son were booked in a suicide case of the son of a former minister, Mange Ram, over a year ago.

Gaurav Rathi, Mange Ram’s grandson, had also accused Nafe Singh and some others of taking illegal possession of their shop in 2019 and threatening to take possession of their ancestral land and house.

The allegations were levelled in a police complaint filed by Gaurav after his father Jagdish Rathi (50) committed suicide.

The police had booked Nafe Singh and five others in the case. The complainant’s family had also met the CM and the police then formed a special investigation team (SIT).

Gaurav claimed that his father had filed a police complaint against the accused. The investigation officer, in connivance with the accused, reportedly made his father sign some documents at gunpoint.

A patwari and his associate also helped the accused in grabbing their land on the basis of forged documents. “My father was receiving constant threats. Fed up, he had, in December 2022, urged the CM and Home Minister for justice through an audio clip. In the recording, he can be heard saying that he is being forced to commit suicide. He ended his life by consuming poison,” said the complainant in the FIR.

The police later issued a lookout circular for Nafe Singh, who managed to get anticipatory bail. Sources say Gaurav, his brother Rahul and their uncle Satish Rathi have now been booked in connection with the murder of Nafe Singh and his aide Jai Kishan.

Meanwhile, Jitender, son of Nafe Singh, claimed all cases against his father were politically motivated as they used to raise issues pertaining to corruption in the local bodies.