INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
After resigning from the Jammu and Kashmir government amid criticism over his support for the accused who raped and murdered an
eight-year-old girl in Kathua, former minister Lal Singh said that Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti must take responsibility of the incident
and quit.Former Forest Minister Lal Singh and Industries Minister Chandra Prakash Ganga had addressed a rally organised by a pro-Hindu group
Hindu Ekta Manch in March in support of the accused in the Kathua case
While Chandra Prakash Ganga had termed the arrest of the men as "jungle raj", Lal Singh said, "Why such a hullabaloo on the death of this
one girl many such girls have died here."Amid a political storm over the former ministers' remarks, the chief minister had reportedly told
ally BJP that the duo's continuation in the government had become untenable."Mehbooba Mufti should introspect what had the two ministers
(who resigned) done We resigned so that peace is maintained in the country
We are the girl's well-wishers
The girl's body wasn't found for seven days after her disappearance
Mehbooba Mufti, who also holds the Home portfolio, must take moral responsibility for the incident and resign," said Lal Singh.The duo had
resigned on Friday, and soon after said that they were asked by the party leadership to visit Kathua to pacify angry locals who were
demanding a CBI probe into the horrific crime.The eight-year-old girl -- who belonged to a nomadic Muslim community - was kidnapped from
near her home on January 10, kept sedated and gang-raped repeatedly for days by a group inside a temple before being killed, the
charge-sheet filed by the state police's Crime Branch said.As their investigations over the last three months led from one arrest to
another, certain groups, including Hindu Ekta Manch, worked towards rallying support for the accused
Several lawyers of the Jammu Bar Association had even prevented the investigating officers from filing the charge-sheet in Kathua district
court last week.Before the trial in the case begins today, the family of the girl has already decided to approach the Supreme Court to ask
for a transfer of the case to some other state."We don't think there is conducive atmosphere in Kathua for the trial," said Deepika Singh,
who is representing the girl's family.But the Jammu Bar Association insists that there are "defects" in the crime branch investigation and
Jammu lawyers have been on strike for the last 12 days demanding, besides other things, a CBI probe in this case."We are not at all
satisfied with the inquiry
There are 221 witnesses and they say further investigation has to be done
There are certain inherent defects in the investigation," said Gagan Basotra, in charge of the association.Meanwhile, demonstrations were
held on Sunday in several cities across India, including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Goa and Bhopal today as public
outrage over a spate of rape and murder of children spiral.
