Another teenage girl raped even as Kashmir Valley seethes with anger

Police said the accused identified as 20-year-old Muhammad Aasif Wani was arrested.
Srinagar college students pelt stones at policemen amid tear gas during a protest against the alleged rape of a three-year-old girl by a local in Bandipora (Photo | PTI)
Srinagar college students pelt stones at policemen amid tear gas during a protest against the alleged rape of a three-year-old girl by a local in Bandipora (Photo | PTI)

SRINAGAR: At a time when the Valley is seething with anger over the rape of a three-year-old girl in north Kashmir's Bandipora district comes the news that another teenage girl was raped - this time in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district. The accused was arrested by the police.

A police official said the police station in Ganderbal received a complaint from a family that their teenage daughter was raped by a youth on May 12. He said the accused identified as 20-year-old Muhammad Aasif Wani was arrested.

Police has registered a case under FIR no 98/2019 under RPC 376, 451 RPC Sec-4 and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) and has taken up the investigation. The official said a special team has been formed to fast-track the investigation in a professional manner.

He said medical examination of the victim has been conducted. The victim's family has demanded justice and called for the hanging of the rapist. Meanwhile, protests continued in Srinagar and other parts of the Valley against the rape of three-year-old girl in north Kashmir's Bandipora district.

The students of different educational institutions including the University of Kashmir, Amar Singh (AS) College Srinagar, Women's College Srinagar, Kashmir Law College, SKIMS Medical College, Degree College Kangan and Higher Secondary School, Uri took to the roads today and staged protests.

The protesting students were demanding that stern punishment be awarded to the culprit, who has been arrested by the police.

"The rapist should be hanged to death. He should not be shown any kind of mercy," the protestors said.

The students of AS College clashed with the police and paramilitary personnel, who fired teargas shells to disperse them. The clashes between the two sides continued for some time.

On the evening of May 8, a three-year-old girl of Tiragam, Sumbal in north Kashmir's Bandipora district was raped by her neighbour Tahir Ahmed Mir, 20, after she was lured to the washroom of a nearby school.

Her family alleged that the accused lured the child with candy, abducted her and then raped her in washroom of a school. The accused was arrested by the police and has been sent to police remand by the court. As a precautionary measure, authorities had ordered the closure of many educational institutions in central, south and north Kashmir.

The rape of the three-year-old girl has caused outrage in the Valley with mainstream and separatist politicians, religious parties, civil society members, traders and youth denouncing the incident and demanding stern punishment for the rapist.

The administration has ordered a fast-track investigation in the case with PDP chief and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti saying that Islamic Shariah law seems apt so that such paedophiles are stoned to death.

Advisor to Governor K Vijay Kumar said speedy investigation is going on in the rape case and the culprit will be given exemplary punishment.

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