Public anger is rising in Singhani village of Bhiwani, Haryana, after the brutal killing of Manisha, a 19-year-old playschool teacher. Her body was found on August 13 in a field in Singhani with her throat slit.
The incident has sparked protests across the area. After demonstrations on Sunday, a mahapanchayat was held on Monday. At the gathering, former BJP minister JP Dalal promised justice to the victim’s family, but villagers insisted that the murderers must be arrested first. Markets in the area also remained closed over the weekend, with locals accusing the police of delay and negligence in the case.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has ordered the transfer of Bhiwani’s Superintendent of Police (SP) and suspended five policemen. However, Opposition parties say these steps are not enough.
On August 11, the victim had left her school to visit a nursing college to seek information about a course. She never returned. When she did not come home by evening and her phone went unanswered, her father lodged a missing complaint. But the Loharu police allegedly dismissed his concerns, telling him that his daughter had “run away” and would “return in two days.”
The family later went with the police to the nursing college for enquiries. There, three intoxicated men were questioned. They denied seeing Manisha and said the college had shut at 1 pm.
Two days later, on August 13, a farmer discovered a body in a field near a canal in Singhani. The police later identified it as Manisha’s.
An autopsy was carried out, but Manisha’s family refused to accept the body. They demanded that the culprits be arrested before her funeral. The situation at Bhiwani Civil Hospital grew tense, forcing the police to deploy more personnel for security. Her family also alleged that the police delayed registering their complaint at the beginning, which cost them precious time.
Angry protesters came onto the streets over the weekend. On Saturday, a mahapanchayat was held near Dhigawa Mandi, where villagers demanded immediate arrests. On Sunday, locals blocked the Delhi–Pilani road to press for justice.
The police have said six investigation teams have been formed. A second post-mortem was also carried out at PGIMS Rohtak. Officials said the final cause of death would be confirmed after the viscera report from the forensic lab.
Also Read: Hooda slams govt over Manisha murder, demands justice
Friends and neighbours described Manisha as calm and polite. Her school friend Pinky said it was unimaginable that anyone could hurt her. Another villager alleged that Manisha’s life might have been saved if the police had acted promptly.
The case has now turned a political battle. Haryana minister Shruti Choudhry said on Sunday CM Saini himself was monitoring the investigation. But Opposition leaders have strongly criticised the government’s handling of the case.
Congress MP Kumari Selja said the killing had “shaken the nation.” She called it a “collapse of law and order” in the state. Selja criticised the police for dismissing the family’s complaint and said suspending officers was “mere eyewash.” She asked, “Are Haryana’s daughters safe? The BJP government must answer.”
INLD president Abhay Singh Chautala called the incident a “black spot” on the state government. He said it had exposed the hollowness of the BJP’s slogan Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.
“The situation in the state today is such that Haryana has become one of the most unsafe states for women. Expecting the safety of daughters under the BJP government is futile,” he said.
AAP leader Anurag Dhanda alleged that criminals were acting without fear in the state. He said ransom calls were being made even from jails while the CM remained silent. Citing police data, Dhanda claimed that more than 4,100 people went missing in just six months of 2025, averaging 45 a day, with kidnapping cases crossing 1,000. He also pointed out that Jind district reported 17 murders in a single month, while crimes against women in Hisar and Rohtak showed “administrative paralysis.”
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also sought a response from the Haryana DGP in the Manisha murder case.
Follow us
