Kathua girl murder row: Confusing probe theory

Brutal murder and rape of a minor girl in Heernanagar area of Kathua district though deserved a spontaneous action from the government but until the opposition protests and walkouts in the assembly the government did not bother to announce a probe for impartial investigation of this brutal murder and Chief Minister’s condemnation statement issued hours after the incident was reported by media as expected was the only response from the government. Shockingly the MLA representing the constituency of Kathua district where the murder and rape was committed the minor girl did not bother to protest in the assembly and demand a time bound probe for thorough investigation of this heinous crime and instead the concerned MLA was virtually embarrassed when opposition members asked him to explain the reasons for showing laughing postures during their protests against the murder in the assembly. In a sorry state of affairs, the government has announced three probed one after the other—–initially the government said special investigation team has been constituted for probe, the second day government announced magisterial probe when there was an uproar against lathicharge for protesting against the murders and lately government has announced its decision to handover the investigation of the case to Crime Branch of the police. Interestingly the government is yet to clarify that whether the special investigation team (SIT) constituted by police for probe and appointment of a magistrate for probe have been cancelled to hand over the investigation of the case to the Crime Branch of Jammu & Kashmir police or not. So government is yet to clarify that whether all the three parallel probe panels announced by it so for in the assemly have to carry forward the probes independently or the Crime Branch is the only forum for investigation of the case hereafter. Clarification on the handing over of the investigation of Kathua girl’s murder case to the Crime Branch of Jammu & Kashmir police should have come from nine else than the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti who herself holds the portfolio of the home department.
So for Chief Minister has not shared the concerns over the murder and rape of the minor girl in the assembly despite repeated protests of the opposition members on the continuing silence of the Chief Minister over the murder of the minor girl. A statement of clarification from the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on the announcement of three parallel probes for the investigation of the murder and rape of a minor girl one after the other would remove confusions about the probe theory of the government on the brutal murder of a minor girl. Since the conduct of police in handling the case has been questioned by people within and outside the Assembly on many counts. better it would have been for the government to order a time bound judicial probe of the case ànd attach the SP of Kathua district and the Dy SP of the concerned area till the completion of the investigation.