What Is the Kathua Case?
The eight-year-old girl allegedly gangraped by six men who had held her in captivity in a small temple village in Kathua district for a week in January, was kept sedated so that she could be sexually assaulted once again before she was bludgeoned to death, reveals the chargesheet in the case accessed by PTI.
The abduction, rape and killing of the Bakerwal girl was part of a carefully planned strategy to remove the minority nomadic community from the area, reveals the 15-page chargesheet filed by the Jammu and Kashmir Police's Crime Branch in the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court in Jammu on 9 April.
On 23 January, the J&K government had handed over the case to the crime branch of the state police which formed a Special Investigation Team and arrested eight people including two Special Police Officers (SPOs) and a head constable, who was charged with destruction of evidence.
Jammu Lawyers Suspend Agitation, Resume Work
The Jammu High Court Bar Association (JHCBA) resumed work after staying away from courts for 12 days in support of their various demands including handing over the Kathua rape and murder case to CBI and deportation of illegally settled Rohingyas.
The decision to resume work was taken at a general house meeting of the JHCBA held under the chairmanship of its president B S Slathia.
“The general house decided to temporarily suspend the agitation, responding to the appeal of Bar Council of India (BCI), and the Supreme Court taking cognizance of the issue (Kathua rape and murder case),” Slathia told PTI.
The JHCBA went on a four-day strike initially on 4 April in support of four demands, which included clarity from the government on tribal affairs and district status to Nowshehra sub-division in Rajouri district. It later extended the strike till 17 April.
The JHCBA also sponsored a general strike in Jammu on 11 April but faced severe criticism from various quarters.
SC Issues Notice to J&K Govt on Plea Seeking Transfer of Case
The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice asking the Jammu and Kashmir government to reply to the plea filed by the victim’s family, seeking to transfer the case to Chandigarh.
Seeking the response, a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra directed the state to provide adequate security to the victim's family, their lawyer Deepika Singh Rajawat, her family and Talib Hussain -- a member of local Bakerwal community -- who is helping the victim's family in the case.
Senior counsel Indira Jaising, appealing for the victim's father, expressed satisfaction with the investigation and told the court that they wanted transfer of the trail so that it could be a fair one.
The court directed the next hearing of the matter on 27 April.
Everything Will be Clear After Narco Test: Accused
One of the accused in the Kathua rape and murder case, speaking to media after the hearing at the District Court, said that everything will be “clear” after the narco test.
Accused Plead Not Guilty in Trial Court
The eight people accused of raping and killing an eight-year-old girl in Kathua pleaded not guilty and asked the district and sessions judge for a narco test.
As the trial in the case, which has become the focal point of outrage across the country, began in Jammu, District and Sessions Judge Sanjay Gupta asked the state Crime Branch to give copies of the chargesheet to the accused.
The next date of hearing is reportedly on 28 April.