Shimla, April 14 -- Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee chief Vinay Kumar on Tuesday expressed deep sorrow over the brutal murder of a 19-year-old girl in Sarkaghat of Mandi district, calling for strict action against accused to prevent such incidents in the future.

Speaking to ANI, Kumar termed the incident "extremely unfortunate" and said that such crimes have no place in society.

"This is a heinous and incident. Strict action must be taken so that a strong message goes out and such incidents are not repeated," he said.

He noted that the accused has already been arrested and stressed the need for stringent punishment. Kumar also pointed to drug abuse as a major factor behind rising crime.

"Drug addiction is a serious concern in the ...