ROHTAK: The body of Ranbir Suhag, a lecturer in the Department of Journalism, Maharshi Dayanand University, was consigned to the flames at his ancestral village Mattenhel. Jan. 16.

The body of Suhag, who had been missing since January 7, was found in a canal near here last week.

The relatives of Suhag and leaders of organizations of university employees and students ended their dhama and decided to take possession of the body for cremation. The body had been lying in the mortuary after the postmortem examination as members of the university community and family of Suhag insisted that the government order a CBI probe into his death.

The Deputy Commissioner, Gulab Singh, Sarot, and SSP. K.P. Singh, met the leaders sitting in them that the government had already asked the CBI to investigate the case. At first the Ieaders refused to accept the fax copy of the Home Secretary’s communication to the CBI in this regard but later they relented and ended their fast and dhama.

The body of Suhag was then taken to Mattemhel on the Jhajjar road where it was cremated. About 500 people, including a large number of MDU employees, attended the cremation. Hardwari Lal, former VC of MDU, and Chhattarpal Singh, a former minister, were also present No untoward incident was reported from the village.

The university remained closed as a mark of respect to Suhag. However, about 150 students of local colleges held a procession here demanding arrest of the culprits.

Meanwhile, a team of forensic experts from the state laboratory at Madhuban arrived here, and inspected the spot where the body of Suhag was found in the JLN canal.

The SSP said a case of murder under Section 302, IPC was registered after the receipt of the postmortem report The police investigations, he said, would continue ull the CBI took over the case.

It is Iearnt that the police has placed all the applications of Suhag to the police on the case file. Suhag had made several representations to the police during the past about 10 years. This has been done to investigate all possible angles to the case. The investigations can now be stopped up, according to sources.

The Haryana unit of the CPM supported the demand for a probe into the death of Suhag a statement the CPM state secretary Inderjit Singh, said the murder of Suhag was the result of increased criminalization of politics in Haryana.

Article extracted from this publication >> January 27, 1995