Chhattisgarh Ex-Minister Rajinder Pal Singh found dead at home

Rajnandgaon: The body of Rajinder Pal Singh Bhatia, former Chhattisgarh minister and BJP leader, was found hanging at his residence in Rajnandgaon district on Sunday afternoon (September 19). Police suspect it as a case of suicide.

The 72-year-old was found hanging at his house in Chhuriya town in the evening, a police official said. Immediately after being alerted, a police team rushed to the scene and sent his body for post-mortem, he said. No suicide note has been recovered from the scene yet, according to the police.

BJP leaders claim that Bhatia tested positive for COVID-19 in March this year and has been unwell since then. They said Bhatia, the three-time MLA from Khujji Assembly constituency of the district, was Minister of State for Commerce and Industry in the first BJP government led by Chief Minister Raman Singh.

In 2013, he revolted against the party after being denied an Assembly ticket and ran as an independent candidate from Khujji during the state polls. However, he later returned to the party, according to party leaders. He had lost his wife a few years earlier, and his only son Jagjeet Singh Bhatia works for a private hospital in Raipur, they said.