Amid protests, the Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police filed the chargesheet against seven accused including police officials in the Kathua rape and murder case.
Amid protests, the Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police filed the chargesheet against seven accused including police officials in the Kathua rape and murder case.
"From our side, the Crime branch has filed chargesheet against seven accused. The chargesheet against the juvenile will be filed tomorrow," Dr Shesh Paul Vaid, director general of police J&K, told DNA
The body of the eight-year-old nomad tribal girl was found near the jungles at Rasana village of Hiranagar in Kathua district on January 17, a week after she went missing near her home in Kota village.
Tensions rose when lawyers allegedly tried to prevent the Crime Branch from filing the chargesheet in the rape and murder case of eight year old tribal nomad girl at the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Kathua.
Lawyers and other people staged a strong protest outside the court premises when the Crime Branch officials arrived to file the charge-sheet at Kathua.
Sensing trouble, police reinforcements were immediately called in to provide security cover to the officials so that they could file the chargesheet.
"Lawyers in Kathua Jammu tried to stop the J&K Police Crime Branch from filing a chargesheet in the case of the rape and murder of an 8 yr old girl but some “news” channels are happier reporting outside a chola bhatura shop", tweeted Omar Abdullah, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister.
BAR Association Kathua, however, said the Crime Branch could not succeed in filing the challan due to their agitation. "The agitation of BAR shall continue. The BAR has unanimously decided to keep work under suspension till April 12", said Kirty Bhushan Mahajan, president of Kathua BAR Association.
The high drama was witnessed against the backdrop of the Jammu bandh call on April 11 by the civil society groups and lawyers to pressure the J&K government to order CBI probe into the rape and murder case of the eight year old girl.
High Court BAR Association of Jammu (BAJ) and civil society groups have called for Jammu bandh on April 11 demanding CBI probe in the rape and murder case alleging that the Crime branch is conducting investigation in biased manner and trying to extract the statements from the accused by force.
“Crime Branch is conducting the investigation in an unfair and biased manner. Those, who have been arrested, are being beaten, harassed mentally and physically, to force them to give wrong statements. They are trying to concoct false story for communal divide”, said BS Salathia, president BAJ.
More than seven people including two Special Police Officers (SPOs) and a head constable have been arrested in the case so far. SPO Deepak Khajuria alias Depu, 28, was arrested after Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Crime Branch found evidence about his alleged involvement in the case.
Head Constable Tilak Raj was picked up by Crime branch sleuths after it was found that he had allegedly washed the blood and mud stained clothes of the eight year old victim before sending them for the forensic laboratory for the necessary tests. Police had earlier arrested a juvenile before the case was shifted to Crime Branch on January 23.
Last month Sanji Ram, a 60 year old retired government employee, was absconding after his name figured during the investigation of the rape of murder case surrendered before the Crime Branch. Ram’s son was earlier arrested from outside the state.
Under fire, Jammu and Kashmir government dragged National Conference into the issue asking them to clarify their stand on Congress.
“Congress support to the Bandh call by bar association Jammu exposes its politics of running with the hare and hunting with the hound. Party's stand on the issues raked up is painful though not unexpected. Time for its state allies National Conference makes position clear”, tweeted Naeem Akhtar J&K Works Minister and chief spokesman of PDP-BJP government.
National Conference was quick to hit back denying any truck with Congress in the state. “This - coming from you Naeem Sahib - is rich, to say the least. We are not in an alliance with any party nor do we have to justify or rationalize the decisions of another party. Have you removed Lal Singh and Ganga from the Cabinet for supporting a rape a murder accused yet btw?” tweeted Junaid Azim Mattu, state spokesman of National Conference.
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