Congress demands court-monitored probe into Kathua case

The Congress on Monday demanded a court-monitored probe into the rape-and-murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir and sought police protection to the lawyer who is fighting the case of the rape victim.

Senior Congress spokesperson Ghulam Nabi Azad said he would write to the state government seeking protection to the woman lawyer who has come forward to fight for the victim.

He also alleged that the communal divide in Jammu is increasing under the BJP-PDP government.

Azad also hoped that the victim would get justice and lamented that politicians and lawyers who were expected to give justice to people and ministers who were expected to protect people, were protecting the accused.

"I am fully confident that the judiciary will do justice. Her soul will rest in peace if there is justice," he said.

"There is no faith in the Jammu and Kashmir and central governments. The Kathua case be court-monitored...Either the Supreme Court or the Jammu and Kashmir High Court should ensure the case is fast-tracked and it is court-monitored," he said.

Azad also alleged that communal divide in Jammu and Kashmir, maybe first time since Independence, "is so wide". "It is the inefficiency and incapability of the central government and the state government, as a matter of fact negligence of the central and state governments," he said.

The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said the one who is abetting also becomes accused in the case and demanded that the police should consider those aiding, abetting as part of the conspiracy.

"If the state government cannot provide protection, it has no right to continue," he said.

Asked if Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti failed in ensuring law and order, the Congres leader said, "When did she succeed? She failed from the first day till today. Everybody knows the Kashmir situation. Jammu was safer, it has now become much worse."

Terming the Surat rape case as "most unfortunate", the Leader of Opposition said it was as bad as the Kathua case.

"That means we have all become inhuman. In this case too, I request the court to take suo motu action. Otherwise, in Surat in Gujarat nothing will come out. In other states, you may expect something, but in Gujarat nothing will come out, no justice is expected from the Gujarat government.

"There are very good judges in Gujarat High Court with high reputation. I am sure the judges will come forward and take some suo motu action," he said.

Azad targeted the prime minister, saying "PM said none will be spared: There is nothing in the prime minister's hand. He remained silent in Unnao case for a year and for four months in the Kathua case. Now the matter is with the court. The prime minister cannot do anything. What can the prime minister do when (he) cannot even remove a MLA (Kuldeep Singh Sengar) from the party."

In Unnao, a 17-year-old girl alleged that Sengal raped her.

On some former bureaucrats writing a letter to the prime minister, Azad said that bureaucrats are the most disciplined community in the country. "It shows how impelled they find it to write to the prime minister on the deteriorating situation. The prime minister should also understand that no section is left in the country which is not unhappy with the government," he said.

PTI