Chandigarh, Feb 26 (IANS): Acceeding to the demand of the main Opposition Congress, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Monday informed the state Assembly that a probe by the CBI has been ordered into killing of Indian National Lok Dal's State Chief Nafe Singh Rathi.

"If the House wants the probe to be conducted by the CBI, it will be conducted," Vij said.

The Congress described the killing of Rathi as the state's "first political murder" and demanded a probe into the incident either by a high court judge or a high court judge-monitored CBI investigation.

Congress leader Raghuvir Kadian said it was a political murder.

"It is a political murder and the first such incident in Haryana after it was carved out as a separate state (in 1966),” Kadian informed the Assembly.

At the beginning of the day's proceedings, the Haryana Assembly paid tributes to former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi, who died recently.

Two-time legislator Rathi was shot dead along with a party worker by assailants in Jhajjar's Bahadurgarh town.

Twelve people, including former Bahadurgarh MLA Naresh Kaushik, were booked in connection with his killing.

Rathi was sitting in the front seat of his SUV when the assailants waylaid the vehicle and fired indiscriminately from close range. The assailants sped away after the crime scene.