Srinagar: The opposition National Conference (NC) on Tuesday demanded that the government should transfer the Kathua rape and murder case from Kathua court, for sake of a ‘free and a fair trial.’
NC General Secretary and MLA Khanyar, Ali Muhammad Sagar who was flanked by NC provincial president, Nasir Aslam Wani while addressing media persons in Srinagar said the party demands that the government should shift the minor girl’s case from Kathua Court to any other court for the sake of free and fair trail.
The NC leader was reacting over the recent action of Kathua Bar Association who tried to prevent the Crime Branch (CB) from filing charge sheet in the rape-and-murder case.
“Chief Minister had assured in the assembly that the culprits will be punished. But yesterday’s incident in Kathua has given birth to various apprehensions,” Sagar told reporters.
He also said that the involvement of policemen to destroy the evidence testifies how far they can go into this particular case. “The state government must prove that it is not involved in this design by shifting the case immediately from Kathua court,” he said.
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He also demanded a speedy trial in the case so that the culprits are punished at the earliest.
Sagar further stated that said NC will defeat those nefarious who are trying to divide people on religion lines.
Lawyers in Kathua on Monday tried to prevent the Crime Branch to file the chargesheet in the rape and murder case of the an eight year old girl. However the police, after calling reinforcements filed the chargesheet.
“We have filed charge sheet against seven accused persons and charge sheet against a juvenile person will be field separately,” IGP Syed Afadul Mujtaba said.
The Bar Association had called for a Jammu Bandh on April 11, however the Jammu Chamber of Commerce in a press conference said that they will not support the Bandh.
Recently, the DNA report suggested that the eight year old Kathua girl was being held captive in a temple.
Nine accused, including the alleged mastermind Sanji Ram – an ex-bureaucrat – and his son vishal Kumar, a police head constable, two SPOs and a sub-inspector of police, have been arrested in the case.
Ram surrendered before the police on March 20. His surrender came after the arrest of his son Vishal – a BSc Agriculture student -from Meerut area of Uttar Pradesh.
Ram, said to be linked with the Hindu Ekta Manch, allegedly motivated special police officer Deepak Khajuria to kidnap, rape and murder the eight-year-old victim with the intention of driving out nomadic families of Muslim origin from Jammu’s Rasana village.
Earlier, it came to fore that how the police had initially botched up the probe by destroying crucial evidence.
On January 17, body of minor girl was found in the forests near Rasana, Hiranagar. The girl had been missing for a week. According to police, she had been abducted and raped by an SPO Deepak Khajuria, who was a part of the team sent out find her when she was missing.
The investigation of the Crime Branch further revealed that she had been drugged so that she couldn’t cry for help.
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On January 23, the Mehbooba Mufti government had ordered a probe into the incident, and subsequently handed over the case to the Crime Branch of police. Several people including two policemen have been arrested so far for involvement in the crime.
However, Hindu Ekta Manch has been protesting in support of the arrested policeman, demanding transfer of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation.The Chief Minister has already condemned the rallies being held by Hindu Ekta March and also said that raising the tricolour in such rallies amounts to desecration.
(With inputs from KNS)
