Far from truth: J&K Police confirms rape of 8-yr-old Kathua girl

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police Crime Branch issued a press release on Saturday confirming that the Kathua gangrape and murder victim was subjected to sexual assault by the accused.

This comes in the wake of a section of print/electronic media sharing misinformation on social media sites that the eight-year-old girl was not raped.

The press release stated that medical reports have confirmed that the girl was sedated, sexually assaulted and murdered.

"For the last couple of days, a section of print/electronic media has published/broadcast information/reports shared on the social media sites as well, which are far from truth," the Crime Branch said in the press release.

"Constrained by the reports, it is to place on record that on the basis of opinion furnished by medical experts, it was confirmed that the victim was found subjected to sexual assault by the accused," the press release stated.

"Accordingly, on the basis of medical opinion, Section 376 (D) of the Ranbir Penal Code was added in the case. The medical opinion also established beyond doubt that the victim was held in captivity and administered sedatives and the cause of her death was asphyxia leading to cardiopulmonary arrest," it said.

The victim went missing while grazing horses in Rasana village of Hiranagar tehsil of J&K’s Kathua district on January 10. A week later, her body was found in woods near her village. The DNA and police investigations have revealed that she was held inside a local temple where she was drugged, raped and killed.

The case gained national attention after a police chargesheet revealed that the girl was kept in a local temple, gangraped repeatedly, and kept sedated and without food before being strangled. Her head was also smashed with a large rock. Just before she was killed, one of the accused, a police officer, insisted on raping her one last time.

The Crime Branch of the J&K police entrusted with investigation of the gory incident filed two separate charge sheets against the eight accused including the custodian of the temple, his son, four police officers and two others in the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM)’s court at Kathua.

All the accused who have already been arrested pleaded not guilty at the first hearing of the case held on April 16.