Sonali Phogat ‘murder’ case: Goa police did a good job, all evidence handed over to CBI, says CM Pramod Sawant

Sawant came to Chandigarh to meet the family of freedom fighter Karnail Singh Benipal in Badola village of Ambala. The Goa CM visited the village and handed over a citation and Rs 10 lakh to Benipal’s widow Charanjit Kaur.

Speaking to media persons on the occasion, Sawant said: “Goa got independence 14 years after the country’s independence. I salute all the freedom fighters who were involved in Goa’s liberation struggle. Freedom fighters had then come to Goa from various parts of the country. Many were from Punjab and Haryana, among other places. A memorial marking their contribution has been built near Patra Devi. We are considering the proposal to name a road to the new international airport in Goa after Karnail Singh Benipal.”

Sonali Phogat died in Goa on the intervening night of August 22 and 23. Her personal assistant Sudhir Sangwan and his friend Sukhwinder Singh were the first two to be arrested by the Goa police on the basis of allegations levelled by Sonali’s brother Rinku Phogat.

Sonali’s family had been alleging that there was a ‘larger conspiracy’ behind her murder. In a recent khap mahapanchayat in Hisar, the family had also pointed fingers at a senior politician seeking a CBI investigation into his possible role in Sonali’s death. However, so far, the CBI has not said anything about any politician’s role in her death.