Kathua: Justice with Asifa!
News Kashmir Analysis
In a landmark Judgement, a court in Pathankot Punjab has awarded life imprisonment to three of the six convicts including mastermind Sanji Ram and a policeman in the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua.
Pertinently,
three of the accused, Sanji Ram (main accused), Deepak Khujuria and Parvesh Kumar alias Mannu were earlier convicted for both rape and murder while as many policemen–Anand Dutta, Tilak Raj and Surinder Kumar (SPO) were held guilty for destruction of evidence. Vishal, son of main accused Sanji Ram, has been acquitted.
On the other hand,
The three policemen have been sentenced to five years imprisonment.
All the social and political circles have applauded the verdict.
President J&K Peoples Movement Shah Faesal welcomed the Court verdict in rape-murder case of a child from Rassana Kathua and called it a victory of truth over falsehood.
In his tweet, Shah Faesal called out the politicians who had tried to sabotage the investigation in the matter and gave credit to J&K Police and the Judiciary for standing their ground in-spite of the political pressure.
Shah Faesal said that politicization of this rape case was one of the most horrendous and shameful incidents of our time and those people who raised the communal bogey against the victims family deserve to be condemned.
“The role of media and activists who tirelessly built a global campaign for justice to the victim also needs to be appreciated”, Shah Faesal added.
While talking to the News Kashmir Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikandar, writer and activist stated :”There has been an institutional denial of justice to Kashmiris since 1990s. The Draconian laws like afspa have been providing impunity to the uniformed men. The award of sentences to culprits in Kathua rape and murder case is a welcome step towards restoring justice and faith of people in judiciary. But the larger question remains that culprits in this case were communal civilians and local policemen but when it comes to army and other paramilitary forces the persecution percentage remains quite low. The faith of common people has retrograded in the institution of judiciary and to restore it culprits of Kunanposhpora, Tufail Matoo, Shopain double murder and rape case and numerous others need to be brought to book and punishment be awarded. To use different yardstick for army and local policemen or civilians will lead to rendering the fault lines more sharper in the society.”
