8 men including a retired government official and 4 policemen in Jammu and Kashmir have been charged for brutally raping and killing an 8-year-old girl, Asifa Bano. Everyone across the nation is outraged by this disgusting act and several protests by students and religious groups have struck out across the country and on social media.
This inhumane incident had taken place in January. However, the details were released only this Wednesday! Why? Because a lot of Hindu groups were trying to suppress this police investigation. Criminal cases have been registered against more than 40 lawyers for trying to prevent the police from filing charges on Monday.
Asifa belonged to a small nomadic Muslim tribe. On January 10, She was grazing horses in Kathua, a small district in Jammu and Kashmir, when a farmhand lured her away and a group of men abducted her. She was confined to a Hindu temple, where she was drugged, gang-raped and killed by strangling her and hitting her head with two rocks. Her body was found by a local on 17th January.
Sanji Ram, a retired government officer and the temple custodian, allegedly planned the crime with the help of police officers Surender Verma, Anand Dutta, Tilak Raj and Mr Khajuria. He also involved his son, Vishal, his nephew, a juvenile, and his friend, Parvesh Kumar in this heinous crime. Sub Inspector Anand Dutta and Tilak Raj were bribed with 1.5 lakhs to keep shut about the case.
Asifa’s father, Muhammad Yusuf Pujwala, had reportedly fled the village with his family out of fear but has now called for a death penalty. According to a leading daily, he said, “I miss my daughter every day. Those responsible for killing my daughter should be hanged to death.”
Organisations like All India Progressive Women’s Association, National Federation of Indian Women, JNU Students Union, Students Federation of India among others took part in the Kathua protest at the Parliamentary street.
Prime Minister and leader of the Bharatiya Janta Party, Narendra Modi has not commented yet. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to social media to express his anguish and also held a candlelight march last night at the India Gate to protest against this violence.
This is what the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, and Union Minister VK Singh tweeted:
The Supreme Court has decided to examine this case after the advocates provide the facts of it in writing to them.
This isn’t the first time the nation has witnessed an inhumane incident. Such brutal acts should come to an end! We are all disturbed and deeply saddened by this brutality and Asifa surely deserves justice! How long will it take for women to be safe and secure?
What do you think about this brutal incident? Let us know in the comments below.
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