Stating that it was watching ‘all developments in J&K closely,’ Bhartiya Janta Party on Thursday said that gang rape and murder of eight-year old Asifa of Kathua was a heinous crime and perpetrators must be dealt as per law.
BJP national general secretary and in-charge Jammu and Kashmir affairs, Ram Madhav, took to Twitter saying such crimes are anti-human and any effort to communalise them needs to be condemned unequivocally.
He said that J&K BJP State Executive on April 1 has passed a resolution in this connection. “The working committee condemns the heinous crime of rape of minors that took place in Rasanna and Nagrota. Such crimes are anti-human and any effort to communalise them needs to be condemned unequivocally,” Madhav said in a tweet. “The perpetrators of the crime must be dealt with as per the provisions of law while the innocents shouldn’t be harassed,” he said in another tweet.
Madhav, a powerful BJP functionary, is the first central leader who has commented on the rape and murder.
BJP vice-president Avinash Rai Khanna said the party was watching developments in Asifa gang rape and murder closely. “We are watching closely. We too want culprits must be given exemplary punishment,” Khanna told Greater Kashmir.
Asked whether the party is going to take action against the two BJP ministers who participated in protests with Hindu Ekta Manch, Khanna said “so far there is no such development.”
Forest minister Lal Singh and Industries minister Chander Prakash Ganga had joined the rally of Hindu Ekta Manch. Ganga had criticized the Crime Branch for making arrests in the case saying the investigating agency had “started a jungle raj in the area.”
Lal Singh had told the rally: “We support you in this cause and will also meet the Chief Minister to demand handing over the case to the CBI. We have to win the war.”
BJP general secretary (Organization) Ashok Kaul said, “We sent them (the two ministers) to douse the fire. Congress and Panthers Party are playing a game. They are trying to aggravate the situation by instigating some people in Jammu. We won’t allow them.”