Uphold unity, harmony, says Himachal CM on gruesome murder

Shimla, June 15 (IANS) Condemning the murder of a youth in Salooni region of Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday called for upholding unity and harmony and further emphasised the need to refrain from giving political or communal colour to the incident.

In a suspected case of honour killing, a young man, believed to be in a romantic relationship with a woman belonging to a minority community, was murdered. His body was cut into eight pieces and dumped in a bag before being disposed off in a sewer.

The victim had been missing since June 6. His body was recovered three days later.

Such incidents should not be flared to achieve the ulterior motive just for sake of politics on the cost of communal harmony, he said during an informal interaction with the media here.

The Chief Minister said the law will follow its due course and assured the victim's family that the government stands firmly with them during this hour of grief and will extend all possible assistance to support them till justice is served.

Reiterating the government's commitment to safeguard the interests of all communities, the Chief Minister said the culprits behind this heinous crime would not escape punishment. Stringent action will be taken against them as per the law.

The Chief Minister urged the public to maintain peace and cooperate with the authorities conducting investigation into the matter.