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Tariq Bhat
Tariq Bhat

CRIME

Brutal murder of eight-year-old girl shocks Jammu

minor-gangrape-victim-illustration-ani (File) Representational image

The murder and possible rape of an eight-year-old girl has shocked Jammu region—the winter capital Jammu and Kashmir.

The girl who belongs to bakerwal (shepherd) community, had gone missing a few days ago. Despite a frantic search by her family, she couldn't be located.

The victim's father  said there were torture marks on her face and body.

The girl's cousin said the victim had gone missing on January 10 after she had taken the horses to drink water in the neighbouring area at noon. ''My uncle called us that evening to ask whether she was with us...After that, we checked with all relatives but nobody has any clue.''

He said they searched for the victim everywhere, including the villages and the forest, but she could not be found. ''Then we went to the police but they took the matter lightly,'' he added.

He said on Wednesday morning, they were shocked when a man called them to say that a girl's body was lying at the place where he was grazing cattle.

He said they informed the police which then reached the spot and took the body to Kathua for postmortem.

After her body was recovered, her relatives and neighbours staged a protest and demanded action against the accused.

The cousin said the women, who washed the girl for burial, said she had been raped and most probably strangulated to death.

SSP Kathua Suleman Chowdhary said they have registered a case of murder but are awaiting her autopsy report. "That report will confirm how she was murdered and other allegations (of rape)," he said.

The opposition NC and the Congress raised the issue in the assembly and staged a walkout alleging Jammu wasn't safe for minorities under PDP-BJP government.

Law Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri told the house that a special team had been constituted to investigate the murder.

Not satisfied with the minister’s reply, the opposition walked out of the house before raising slogans against the government.

Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed her outrage over the inside in a tweet.

“Outraged by the heinous incident in which a young bakerwal girl has lost her life. Incidents like this will be investigated expeditiously and the guilty will be punished,” she said.

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