Charge sheet in Kuthua rape and murder case filed: IGP Crime

Srinagar/ Jammu: The Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police amid reported attempts by lawyers to prevent it from filing charge sheet on Monday filed a charge sheet against seven people who are allegedly involved in rape and murder of eight-year-old Asifa Bano.Meanwhile ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the Kathua lawyer for trying to prevent Crime Branch officials from filing the chage sheet but Kathua Bar Association has condemned the crime branch in the conduct of investigation and renewed the demand for transfer of the investigation of the case to Central Bureau of Investigation
“The charge sheet was filed under different sections of Ranbir Penal Code which includes section 302,376,120(b) at Kathua court” Inspector General of Police Crime Branch, Syed Afadul Mujtaba said, adding that ‘one juvenile has also been arrested in connection with the case. There is one juvenile whose case is being processed’
The charge sheet has been filed few days after DNA test confirmed that the victim was held captive inside a temple before being strangulated after rape.
Asifa Bano, an eight-year-old nomad Muslim girl, was abducted, raped and murdered in Hiranagar area of Kathua district on January 10 and her body was spotted by villagers in a nearby forest on January 17.
On January 23, the Mehbooba Mufti government had ordered a probe into the incident and subsequently handed over the case to the Crime Branch of police.
Sources said the lawyers at Kathua court tried to stop police from entering the court premises, however, police managed to file the charge sheet in the court.
When contacted and asked that if any action was taken against the lawyers who reportedly prevented police from filing charge sheet, Director General of Police, S P Vaid said “There were slogans. We were successful in our mission.”
The Crime Branch of Police has presented the charge sheet of seven persons, including four cops and three men from the same family.
The accused involved in rape and murder case include SPO Deepak Khajuria, SPO Surinder Verma, Sub Inspector Anand Dutta, Head constable Tilak Raj, Retired Patwari Sanji Ram and his son Vishal Kumar.
Earlier in a letter to the director general of police, the crime branch has detailed lapses by the Kathua police. Besides destruction of evidence,the letter said” local police dd not the crime scene and did not launch searches in the village even after Asifa’s family filed a missing complaint,’.
Meanwhile PDP Chief Spokesperson Rafi Ahmad Mir has strongly condemned action of Lawyers in Kathua, preventing the police from filing chargesheet before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kathua in the case of gang rape and murder of 8 year of nomad girl.
Terming it an unfortunate development, Mir said that Lawyer Community have a cardinal role in the society by upholding and maintaining the ethos and sanctity of state institutions.
He said this interference of lawyers by hindering the Crime Branch to file the charge sheet comes as a setback to a civilised society where lawyers are expected to have a greater role in dispensation of justice.
Mir said that the Judiciary of the nation was competent enough to ensure that justice prevails and every concerned citizen should have faith in the verdict of the court, while allowing the state institutions to perform their duties for taking the case to a logical conclusion. Mir said that this unfortunate development also carries a reflection on the broader canvas where this heinous crime of rape and murder is unequivocally condemned and these acts of hindering the justice process only means an endorsement of such brutal and heinous crime.
He also said that its an humane issue and ideally there was no scope of politicking or interfering in the legal process, the Chief Minister has ensured and delivered on her promise of fair probe and PDP believes that the case will be taken to a logical conclusion and that the party and the equally concerned citizens had full faith in the judiciary.
Earlier in the day Kathua Bar Association strongly agitated against the presentation of Challan by the Crime Branch in the “Rasana Case”. Known to all that the Bar is already on the strike against the investigation of the said case by Crime Branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and favours CBI Inquiry, the statement issued on Monday said
” all of the Bar members strongly condemned the conduct of the Crime Branch in dealing the issue. The State Government has failed to deal the issue or understand the sentiments of the people’.
The statement further said that the agitation of the Bar proved successful and the Crime Branch was compelled to go back and the Challan could not be presented in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Kathua.
‘The agitation of the Bar shall continue and the Bar has unanimously decided to keep the work under suspension till 12th day of April, 2018.
An appeal is made to the Civil Society, Private School association Vyapar Mandal Kathua, Transporters union etc to observe complete Kathua Band on 11-04-2018. There shall be complete Band on 11-04-2018 in the whole Jammu Province in support of the demands put forth by the Jammu High Court Bar Association’, the statement reads.