SRINAGAR: Minutes after the Pathankot Court convicted six people in the rape and murder case of an eight-year-old in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua in January last year, former chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah welcomed the court’s judgment.
PDP chief Mufti tweeted, “Welcome the judgement. High time we stop playing politics over a heinous crime where an 8 year old child was drugged, raped repeatedly & then bludgeoned to death. Hope loopholes in our judicial system are not exploited & culprits get exemplary punishment.”
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah wrote that the guilty deserved the “most severe punishment.”
“Amen to that. The guilty deserve the most severe punishment possible under law. And to those politicians who defended the accused, vilified the victim & threatened the legal system no words of condemnation are enough,” he tweeted.
Former Jammu and Kashmir IAS officer Shah Faesal congratulated the state police for “getting the rapists convicted even though politicians tried their best to sabotage the movement for justice to Asifa.”
Faesal tweeted, “Congratulations to @JmuKmrPolice for getting Rasana Kathua rapists convicted. Politicians tried their best to sabotage the movement for justice to A. But the Honble Court and the law enforcement agencies stood their ground. Also, not to forget the role of activists and media.”
The National Commission for Women has welcomed a Pathankot court decision convicting six persons in the horrific gangrape-and-murder case of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua, and sought harshest punishment for them.
NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma said, “I welcome the decision of the court and request them to give harshest punishment and hang them to set example for others because cases against minors are increasing and it would set an example.”
A Pathankot court convicted six out of seven accused who were involved in the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua in January 2018. Quantum of punishment is expected to be announced later in the day.
Village head Sanji Ram, his friend Parvesh Kumar, two Special Police Officers Deepak Khajuria and Surender Verma, Head Constable Tilak Raj, Sub Inspector Anand Dutta were found guilty, while Vishal, the son of Sanjhi Ram, got acquitted.
The incident took place in January 2018 when an eight-year-old girl, belonging to a nomadic Muslim tribe, was abducted, gang-raped and killed after being tortured for days.
The case created public outrage with activists and people hitting the streets demanding justice to the victim.
The Crime Branch arrested eight accused. The trial of seven began in April last year and concluded on June 3. However, the trial of the eighth accused, a juvenile is yet to begin as the petition on his age is pending for a hearing in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. (PTK)
