Fact Check: Congress worker Himami Narwal murder case linked to 'love jihad'? No, accused is from same religion

Hyderabad: On March 1, the body of 22-year-old Himani Narwal, a Congress party worker who had walked with Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, was discovered inside a suitcase near the Sampla bus stand on the Rohtak-Delhi highway in Haryana, India.

In light of the crime, several users have attempted to give the incident a communal angle, claiming that the Congress worker was murdered in a case of ‘love jihad’, suggesting that the murderer was from the Muslim community.

Several Facebook users (links here, here and here) shared an image of Himani Narwal from Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra alongside a picture of the suitcase in which her body was reportedly found.

They claimed, “Himani Narwal, a youth Congress worker from Haryana who participated in Rahul Gandhi's yatra, was strangled by jihadi extremists, stuffed into a suitcase, and dumped along the Rohtak-Delhi highway. You spineless slaves, they don’t care about which party or ideology you belong to. They see only one thing—whether you are a kafir or not. Tomorrow, even those they call ‘brothers’ won’t be spared… Only those who truly understand this will get it.” (Translated from Kannada)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The police have identified the accused as Sachin.

We ran relevant keyword searches and came across a March 3 report by Hindustan Times and Live Mint. According to these media outlets, as soon as the body was recovered, police quickly identified and arrested 30-year-old Sachin, also known as Dhillu, a mobile phone shop owner from the Jhajjar district, accused of killing Narwal. Sachin and Narwal had known each other for about 18 months after connecting through social media. He was also a frequent visitor to her residence in Rohtak’s Vijay Nagar area.

According to the police, on February 27, Sachin visited Narwal’s home, where an argument broke out, reportedly over financial matters. In the heat of the moment, he allegedly strangled her using a mobile phone charger cable. He then took her jewellery, laptop and mobile phone, put her body in a suitcase, and dumped it near the Sampla bus stand.

A Jagran report from March 4 identified Sachin’s father as Devender, who was unaware of the incident. Sachin is married with two children and lives separately from his parents in the same house.

India Today, in its March 4 report, stated that a source has confirmed that Sachin had confessed to the murder, claiming he was in a relationship with the Congress worker.

However, the media outlet also quoted Rohtak Additional DGP KK Rao, who said, “There was no talk of marriage between the two as the accused is already married… but they were friends.”

The report further quoted the officer as saying, “There was a monetary issue between the two, but what it needs to be verified. We cannot say that that was the reason for the murder. The accused has stated that a fight broke out between them, and during the exchange of words, he strangled her.”

NewsMeter spoke to India Today reporter Arvind Ojha, who confirmed that the accused’s name is Sachin and dismissed claims of ‘love jihad’ or any communal angle.

Therefore, we conclude that the claim of ‘love jihad’ in the Himani Narwal murder case is false.