Srinagar
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said that during her tenure as chief minister she tried her best to ensure justice to rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua.
Taking to social networking site Twitter, Mehbooba wrote: “Today marks a year since the horrific rape & murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua. Sadly, instead of condemning such a gruesome incident, BJP lawmakers staged protests in favour of the rapists. Even a crime like rape was communalised & passions were stoked to justify it.”
“As a CM I tried my best to ensure justice was done. Can only hope that the accused are punished severely so that no other girl has to endure such pain and trauma,” Mehbooba wrote on Twitter.
As a CM I tried my best to ensure justice was done. Can only hope that the accused are punished severely so that no other girl has to endure such pain and trauma.
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) January 17, 2019
In January 2018, an eight-year-old girl Asifa Bano was raped and then murdered in Rasana village in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir. The victim belonged to the nomad Bakarwal community. All the accused including four police officers were later arrested.
The inhumane incident that shook the global community saw the political and communal tug-of-war in April, months after her body was discovered. As the enraged society reacted, two BJP ministers had to put in their papers. The incident eventually contributed to the collapse of the BJPDP government.
