Sonali Phogat death: Post-mortem reveals injuries; Two arrested for murder
What's the story
Goa Police on Thursday arrested two accomplices of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from Haryana Sonali Phogat in connection with her death. The development comes shortly after the Police recorded the First Information Report (FIR) with a murder-related section. Earlier, a post-mortem examination indicated that her body had many blunt injury marks, most likely caused by a sharp object.
Context
Why does this story matter?
A former Bigg Boss contestant and content creator with close to nine lakh followers on Instagram, Phogat was visiting Goa with her staff. On Tuesday, she reportedly suffered a heart attack based on a prima facie report by a team of doctors. However, Police had said the cause of death would be confirmed after the postmortem.
Details
Murder charges filed following the postmortem
According to police, Phogat traveled to Goa with her accomplices Sudhir Sagwan and Sukhwinder Wasi. Following the post-mortem report, the charges have been filed against them under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Notably, Phogat's brother filed a complaint against the two at the Anjuna police station on Wednesday. Earlier, her family denied that she had died of a cardiac arrest.
Allegations
Family suspected foul play, accused Secretary of plotting her murder
On Wednesday, Phogat's nephew Vikas accused Gangwan, who is also her Secretary, of plotting her murder. Phogat's sister had also claimed foul play in her death. "I received a call from her the evening before her death. She said she wanted to talk over WhatsApp & said that something fishy is going on," her sister Rupesh had told ANI
Reaction
Phogat's viscera will be examined in Goa and Chandigarh: Khattar
Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar stated that Phogat's viscera would be investigated in Chandigarh and Goa to determine the cause of death. Similarly, State President Om Prakash Dhankhar stated that he has communicated with Goa BJP State President and CM Khattar about this. As per reports, both have been assured the family to reveal the truth about Phogat's death.
Details
Her political stint
In the 2019 Haryana Assembly elections, Phogat contested unsuccessfully on a BJP ticket against Kuldeep Bishnoi (then in the Congress) from the Adampur constituency in Hisar. Bishnoi recently defected to the BJP, and both were now vying for the party's nomination for the next election. As per reports, Bishnoi met with Phogat in Hisar last week.