SRINAGAR: With the district and sessions court set to announce its judgement in the gang rape and murder of an 8-year-old nomad girl of Kathua on June 10, her father is hopeful that justice will be done. He said he wants the culprits hanged.
“We are hopeful that justice will be done,” said the adopted father of the 8-year-old. The accused took turns to rape her before killing her in January, last year.
Speaking to this correspondent, he said that he has talked to the lawyer representing the family and “we hope the culprits will be punished”.
The minor was kidnapped from Rasana village of Kathua on January 10, 2018, while she was grazing horses and a week later, she was found dead. He body bore tell-tale signs of brutal torture and abuse.
The investigation by J&K police’s Crime Branch revealed that the girl was abducted and kept in a local devasthan, where she was drugged and repeatedly raped before being brutally killed.
Stressing that he would settle for nothing less than a capital sentence for the culprits, her father said, “What they did was nothing short of an assault on humanity. They shouldn’t be spared under any circumstances.”
He said awarding death sentence to the culprits would serve as a deterrent and prevent recurrence of such horrific acts in future.
The crime branch found eight people, including former revenue official Sanji Ram, his son Vishal and nephew (a juvenile), their friend Parvesh Kumar, two Special Police Officers (SPOs) Deepak Khajuria and Surender Kumar, Sub Inspector Anand Dutta and Head Constable Tilak Raj involved in the rape and murder, as well as destruction of evidence.
Seven of the accused have been arrested and rape and murder charges framed against them by the district and sessions judge, Pathankot. However, the juvenile accused is yet to go to trial, as the petition on determining his age is yet to be heard by Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
The trial, which was shifted to District and Sessions Judge, Pathankot, on the direction of the Supreme Court, was completed on Monday and the judgment is expected on June 10.
Juvenile accused yet to go to trial
If convicted, the accused would face a minimum of life imprisonment and a maximum of the death penalty. The juvenile accused is yet to go to trial as the petition for determining his age is pending