Former minister and BJP MLA Choudhary Lal Singh who was forced to resign last week for rallying in support of the accused in horrific rape-and-murder of Kathua girl on Tuesday began a march to demand CBI probe into the case.
“The fight is for justice only and its will be done with identifying real culprits,” Singh said while addressing hundreds of supporters at Satwari Chowk in Jammu as he began his Kathua march.
“She was our own daughter. We are fighting to punish her culprits but it is unfortunate that people living far away are interpreting this case without knowing the facts,” he said.
Singh, who was the Forest Minister in Mehbooba Mufti government, is planning to visit Kootha, where relatives and family members of the accused are holding a protest to demand CBI probe into the case.
Singh and his colleague, Chander Prakash Ganga, resigned last week after outrage over their participation in a rally organized by Hindu Ekta Manch – a fringe Hindu group – to support the accused in the horrific case.
Singh’s march began a day after Jammu and Kashmir governor accepted the resignations.
Eight accused have been arrested in the case by the Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police.
According to the police chargesheet, the minor girl was gangraped and drugged during her captivity at a temple in Rasana. The custodian of the temple, Sanji Ram, is believed to be mastermind of the case.
The investigation revealed that the rape and murder were systematic, preplanned and rooted in religious hatred harboured by Sanji Ram against the Muslim nomadic community of Bakarwals.
The motive, according to the police, was to create fear among the Muslim nomadic Bakarwal community and force them to leave.