The charge-sheet against the accused in the case of rape and murder of an eight-year-old child in Kathua some three months earlier contains horrifying and heart-numbing detail of the gruesome crime intended at driving the nomadic Bakerwal community she belonged to out of the area.
The charge-sheet, prepared by Crime Branch of the state police, accessed by GK was filed in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Kathua amid dramatic and outrageous opposition by lawyers of the court on Monday reveals a conspiracy by a former revenue official Sanji Ram and involves his minor nephew, sister, son, another man and local police officers.
Ram asked his teen-aged nephew to kidnap Asifa, drug her unconscious and hide her inside a local temple he was in-charge of, before finally directing to kill her as the Bakerwal community starting agitating about their missing child.
Ram’s nephew, according to the charge-sheet abducted the victim, beat her before raping the child repeatedly along with another accused, and then called his brother from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh to come over and ‘satisfy his lust’ as the child lay unconscious inside the temple, according to the charge-sheet.
The gruesome saga was perpetrated under detailed directions from Ram, the mastermind of the series of crimes, who also spent four lakh rupees to bribe local police officers for covering the crime up to save his son, believing the juvenile justice law would spare his nephew.
Ram later drew plans to have Asifa’s body thrown into a canal, but it didn’t materialise for want of a vehicle forcing them to dump it in the bushes not too far from the temple where she was held captive.
What the CB found
January 4
Sanji Ram induced his teen-aged nephew to take revenge from Bakerwals
January 7
Ram asks nephew to kidnap Asifa from forests behind his home where she regularly comes grazing horses.
Accompolices, Deepak and Vikram purchased 10 tablets of Epitril (0.5 mg), an anti-seizure drug using uncle’s psychiatric prescription.
January 8
On directions from Sanji Ram, Deepak pushed the teen-aged boy to kidnap Asifa assuring him help pass board examination by cheating.
January 9
Ram’s nephew along with Parvesh Kumar went to Hira Nagar and purchased four Manar tablets, a kind of sedative.
January 10
Rams nephew and Parvesh Kumar catch hold of Asifa, forcibly drug her into unconsciousness. The teenager rapes Asifa.
Parvesh Kumar also attempts to rape her.
Both take the child to the temple, leaving her locked inside, covered with plastic mats.
January 11
Asifa’s parents reach the temple to enquire from Sanji Ram about missing daughter. Ram tells them she might have gone to some relative’s house.
Around noon, Deepak Khajuria and Ram’s nephew went inside the temple and drugged Asifa again.
At about 5.00 p.m. the nephew went to the temple again to ensure girl was unconscious, lighting Jyoti.
He then calls Ram’s son Vishal in Meerut telling him about the abduction in case he wanted to ‘satisfy his lust.’
January 12
Vishal reaches Rasana from Meerut.
Ram’s nephew administers three more tablets of sedatives to the victim.
Police, along with Bakerwal community start search for Asifa.
Head Constable Tilak Raj demands money from Ram for investigating officer, Sub Inspector Anand Dutta against promise of saving him.
Ram’s sister, Tripti Devi later hands 1.5 lakh rupees to Tilak Raj. The two have been friends from school days.
January 13
Vishal and Ram’s nephew raped Asifa again in each other’s presence while she laid unconscious.
The nephew drugs Asifa again before locking the temple to make sure she stays unconscious.
In the evening that day Ram directs his nephew to kill Asifa to achieve the goal of the whole conspiracy.
He, along with Parvesh and Vishal took Asifa out of the temple to a nearby small bridge. Deepak followed them there.
Asifa was again gang-raped by Deepak and Ram’s nephew.
The two kill Asifa by strangulating her using her own Chunni.
Ram’s nephew hit Asifa twice on her head to make sure she is killed.
They take Asifa’s body back to the temple again for final disposal later, while Ram kept a vigil outside.
January 15
Plans to throw Asifa’s body into a canal in Hira Nagar fail as the driver named Kishore doesn’t come with a vehicle as planned.
Ram directs Asifa’s body be dumped in the jungle nearby fearing people visiting the temple might notice.
Ram’s nephew threw Asifa’s body in the jungle as Vishal kept a watch and both went home.
Vishal later leaves back for Meerut.
January 17
Asifa’s body found.
Head Constable Tilak Raj demands of Ram that the accused be handed over to police as the Bakerwals intensify agitation.
Ram hands one lakh rupees to Tilak Raj for giving to investigation officer Anad Dutta. Another installment of 1.5 lakh rupees was handed to him by Ram earlier.