The alleged bid to communalize and politicize the gang rape of 8-year old girl in Kathua District of Jammu & Kashmir has sparked nationwide anger and grief. The people have shown outrage on April 12 reminiscent of the Nirbhaya rape protests that erupted on social media.
The Delhi High Court today has issued notices to several media houses who disclosed the identity of Kathua rape victim. The court took up the issue on its own after coming across print and electronic media reports revealing victim’s name.
Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi led a midnight march to India Gate on April 12 joined by his sister Priyanka and her husband Robert Vadra as also their children, in addition to scores of Congress leaders, party workers and others. They shout slogans, carrying candles and some even placards against the BJP governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
Party demands urgent action against the perpetrators of two heinous gangrapes — one in Unnao (UP) and the other in Kathua (J&K).
Union Minister Maneka Gandhi in a video message has said, “I have been deeply, deeply disturbed by the rape case in Kathua and all the recent rape cases that have happened on children. I and the ministry intend to bring an amendment to the POCSO Act asking for the death penalty for rape on children below 12 years.”
A group of lawyers in the Apex Court have requested CJI Dipak Misra to take suo moto cognizance of the conduct of lawyers in Kathua and a PIL in this regard is likely to be filed on 13 April.
J&K DGP SP Vaid while condemning the politicization of the rape case has said, “It’s a very heinous crime. I wish the perpetrators get punished for brutally killing a small eight-year-old girl. We had constituted an SIT of crime branch, which had conducted a probe in a very professional manner. Let’s see what happens in court.”
He also wisely commented on PM Modi’s ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ initiative, and said it was the right slogan and the Prime Minister must start work on ‘Beti Bachao’.
Even Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said they were protesting to awaken the Modi government from its “slumber”.
The girl belonged to the nomadic Bakerwal Muslim community, had disappeared from a spot near her house on January 10.
