The villagers of Rasana and adjoining Panchayats Wednesday appealed to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to transfer the Kathua rape and murder case of an 8-year-old nomad girl to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
“We are fed-up with the politicians who exploit us for their own point scoring. When the issues came in limelight during the budget session, everyone rushed here for taking media attention. But after that, not a single politician or a political party has visited Rasana or its adjoining villages to console the people, who actually suffered by the one-sided investigation of the Crime Branch,” 76-year old Bishan Dass Sharma, retire solider of Indian Army told Greater Kashmir.
“No one knew Rasana village, before January 10. We (people) were projected as communal minded, many spread hearted for us and projected us as anti-Muslim but from the first day we demanded justice for the girl and sought CBI probe only, because as per our understanding the Crime Branch is investigating one sided story, without talking to other side,” he said.
“The rape and murder case is heinous and everybody is equally concerned about it,” said Darshana Devi, 55, wife of alleged master mind of the case.
“I am mother of two daughters and after I came to know about this crime, I felt shattered and dejected. Whosoever has committed this crime, even if that is my son or husband, the culprit should not be spare and should be hanged in full public view; but in the name of investigation innocents should not be put under torture,” she said.
“My husband just retired from government service. He did not even prepare his pension file. My younger son is perusing graduation in agriculture science from Uttar Pradesh. He left home on January 6, four days before the girl went missing, because he had first semester examination, which started from January 9,” she said.
“How my son and his other three classmates can be involved in the case?” she questioned and added, “Like them, many families are crying for their members, who are detained.
“The Chief Minister is the head of state, and women too. She must understand the pain of mother and should transfer case to CBI,” she said.
“Among arrested, there were people, who are lone bread winners for large families,” said Radhay, another villager.
“We demanded exemplary punishments for all the guilty persons, but at the same time we plead that innocents should be spared” he said.