Nearly three months after her abduction, chilling details of horrific rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu have come in the public domain.
According to a report in The Indian Express, the eight-year-old victim, who belonged to Muslim Bakerwal community, was raped thrice inside the Devasthan or prayer hall in Jammu’s Kathua region. When the attempts to kill her by strangulation failed, she was hit on the head twice with a stone to ensure she’s dead. One of the alleged rapists was invited from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh to “satisfy his lust.” Moments before her death, one of the eight accused in the case, a police personnel, wanted to rape her one last time. He did it. During all this time, the girl was continuously sedated with drugs to keep her confined.
The eight-year-old victim, who belonged to Muslim Bakerwal community, was raped thrice inside the Devasthan or prayer hall in Jammu’s Kathua region | Source: The Indian Express
These chilling details form the 18-page chargesheet filed on Monday by J&K Police’s Crime Branch – amidst protests by lawyers who support the accused – against the eight accused in the rape and murder of the girl who went missing from near her house in Rasana village of Kathua region on January 10. The victim’s mutilated body was found seven days later in the forests nearby.
The horrific episode’s objective was to “dislodge” nomad Muslim Bakerwal from Rasana village in Kathua. Over the years, Jammu has witnessed a spate of incidents where local Hindus, supported by some BJP ministers, have targeted Muslim Bakerwals and their property. In this case, two BJP ministers of ruling PDP-BJP coalition government – Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga – have openly rallied behind the accused.
Here are some of the harrowing details of the rape and murder compiled in the chargesheet of J&K police.
- While the girl was missing, the local policemen of the area were aware about the location and the condition the girl was in. However, they were given Rs 1.5 lakh bribe by the accused to remain tight-lipped.
- The chargesheet names Sanji Ram as the mastermind behind the rape and murder. A retired revenue official, Ram’s son Vishal Jangotra and his nephew, believed to be a juvenile are also accused in the case. The other accused include Special Police Officers (SPOs) Deepak Khajuria and Surinder Kumar, Assistant Sub Inspector Anand Dutta and Head Constable Tilak Raj. A local resident from Rasana village Parvesh Kumar is the eighth accused in the case.
- On January 7, Ram asked his nephew to “kidnap” the girl who “often comes to the forests behind their house for grazing her horses”. The plan, worked by Ram and cop Khajuria was subsequently shared with Parvesh Kumar@Mannu, his close friend, in order to seek his help.
Lawyers supporting the rape accused protesting against the chargesheet filed by J&K Police on Monday | Source: The Indian Express
- Three days later, Ram’s nephew saw the girl inquiring about her horses. After falsely leading her to the jungle, the chargesheet says “he also called accused Mannu. Sensing some trouble, the victim tried to flee but the juvenile stopped her by catching hold of her neck and covered her mouth with one of his hands and pushed her and she fell on the ground.”
- “The victim fell unconscious and was raped by the juvenile (in the jungle). Thereafter, Mannu also attempted to rape her. They took her and kept her inside the Devasthan under the table over two plastic mats and then covered her.”
- “On January 11, the juvenile informed another accused Vishal Jangotra about the kidnapping of the girl telephonically and asked him to return from Meerut in case he wanted to satisfy his lust.”
- Jangotra reached Rasana at 6 AM next day. “At around 8.30 am [on January 12], the juvenile again went to the Devasthan and administered 3 sedative tablets to the girl while she was unconscious with empty stomach,” it reads.
Protesters demanding justice for eight-year-old Kathua gangrape victim in Srinagar | Source: PTI
- A day later, the chargesheet says, “…accused Vishal Jangotra, the juvenile and accused Ram went to the Devasthan where Ram performed rituals” while the girl was lying there in sedated state. Later, it says, Jangotra “raped the nomad girl. Thereafter, the juvenile also raped the girl.”
- Following the gruesome rape at the religious place, the chargesheet states the Ram decided it was time to “kill” the girl and “dump her body in the forest.”
- “…the accused Mannu, Vishal and juvenile took the victim from the Devasthan to a nearby culvert… accused Khajuria told the juvenile to wait as he wanted to rape the girl before she is killed.”
- “After committing the barbaric act of rape on the minor victim, the accused Khajuria kept her neck on his left thigh and started applying force with his hands on her neck in order to kill her… Khajuria was unsuccessful in killing her, the juvenile killed her by pressing his knees against her back while strangulating the girl by applying force on both the ends of her chunni. Thereafter, the accused, in order to make sure that the victim is dead, hit her twice on head with a stone.'”
- After her murder, the accused tried to find a vehicle to dump her body but failed to get one. The chargesheet says on January 15, mastermind Ram “directed” the other accused to “throw the body in the jungle.”
