
The body of 22-year-old Congress worker Himani Narwal was found on March 1, 2025, on the Sampla bus stand on the Rohtak-Delhi highway, Haryana. The horrific find has evoked a political storm, with leaders calling for a proper probe into her death.
Narwal, a Kathura village resident of Sonepat, was an active Congress worker. She joined Rahul Gandhi's Haryana Bharat Jodo Yatra and worked along with Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda on several political rallies. Narwal was popular for her performances during Congress rallies and social gatherings along with Haryanvi folk artists. Narwal was District Vice President of Rohtak Rural in the Indian Youth Congress.
After spotting a discarded blue suitcase around 200 meters from the Sampla bus stop, passengers alerted officials. On inspection, police recovered Narwal's body in the suitcase with signs of marks of injury on her neck, indicating strangulation. Forensic teams were rushed to the scene to gather evidence, and initial investigations suggest that she was most probably murdered somewhere else before her body was dumped in the suitcase and left behind.
The incident has invoked sharp responses from Congress leaders. Ex-Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda criticized the killing, terming it as a serious lapse of law and order, and demanded a high-level, unbiased investigation. He underlined the demand for stern action against the culprits to avoid such incidents in the future.
The Haryana police launched an investigation, scanning Narwal's call records and checking CCTV footage in the area to see if they can identify any suspects and determine the motive.
The death of Himani Narwal, which was so tragic, not only highlighted the issue of political workers' safety but also women's safety as a whole in the region. With the ongoing probe, there is an overall call for justice and further security arrangements to safeguard citizens.