J&K Police Professional, Guilty Not Spared: DGP on Kathua Horror

An eight-year-old girl was kidnapped, sedated and gangraped in Jammu’s Kathua on 10 January.

Jammu Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Shesh Paul Vaid.

(File Photo: IANS)

The Jammu and Kashmir Directorate General of Police (DGP) has rebuffed all allegations that the local police tried to destroy evidence and protect suspects in the brutal rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu’s Kathua in January.

J&K DGP Shesh Paul Vaid told NDTV: “In J&K Police or anywhere in the country, we work as police officers, we don't work as Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs. All my officers, I can vouch for them. They work as professional police officers”.

No Objection to CBI Probe, but We Are Competent Enough: DGP SP Vaid

The Jammu and Kashmir Police has no objection if the probe is assigned to the CBI but reassured that the J&K police is as competent as any investigation agency to handle the case, Vaid was quoted as saying. "We have no objection to a CBI inquiry, but the J&K Police is as competent as the CBI," Vaid said.

The Jammu Bar Association and the members of the Bharatiya Janata Party have been demanding a CBI probe into the matter. “If we can fight terrorism and stone pelters, why cannot the J&K Police perform the professional duties of investigation. Our officers go on deputation to the CBI,” Vaid added.

Two special police officers have been arrested. So four of our own men who, for whatever reason, whether for bribe or whatever reason did something wrong... even they have not been spared. So that speaks of the fairness of the investigation of Jammu and Kashmir Police.

SP Vaid, DGP Jammu and Kashmir to NDTV. 

The J&K Police, probing the case, filed a chargesheet against the accused in a court in Kathua earlier this week.

According to PTI, the chargesheet named investigating officers – Head Constable Tilak Raj and Sub-Inspector Anand Dutta – who allegedly took Rs 4 lakh to destroy crucial evidence. A separate chargesheet was filed on Tuesday, 10 April. All eight are under arrest. 

The eight-year-old girl, who belonged to the Bakherwal community, was kidnapped and held captive on 10 January. The chargesheet has revealed some chilling details about how the girl was allegedly kidnapped, drugged and raped inside a place of worship before being murdered. The girl was allegedly gang-raped multiple times over the period of a week, and her head was smashed with a stone.

The 15-page chargesheet filed by the Jammu and Kashmir Police's Crime Branch in the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court reveals that the brutal crime was an attempt to remove the minority nomadic community from the area.

(With inputs from NDTV and PTI.)