She had confided in her father that certain people in the party were hostile to her.Kalpana Giri, the murdered Youth Congress leader from Latur, had feared for her life after she got elected as an office bearer earlier this year. Kalpana's father Mangal Giri said, "I dismissed her fears as overreaction and said that no place could be safer for her than our hometown Latur. She told me that once the election got over she would resign from the party and focus on her legal practice." Kalpana went missing on March 21.She had left home to attend an event organised to celebrate the birthday of local Congress MLA Amit Deshmukh.
"For the first two days since she went missing, Mahendrasingh Chavan discouraged me from informing the police and assured me that she would return safely," said her distraught father.
However, her body was found floating in a lake 60 kilometre from her hometown on March 24.
The police later arrested Chavan, the Latur Youth Congress president, and his aide Sameer Killarikar.
During questioning Killarikar told the police that Chavan killed Kalpana as he wanted to end his illicit relationship with her.
Chavan is married with two children.
"Chavan is not co-operating but his accomplice Killarikar said Chavan drowned her," said BG Gaikar, Latur district police superintendent.
Chavan is the son of local Congress strongman Vikramsingh Chavan. Kalpana's family has now been give police protection.