INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
It is impossible to read these 15-pages without a visceral reaction
They provide, in stomach-turning detail, how an eight-year-old girl from a nomadic Muslim tribe was kidnapped, kept hostage at a temple 70
kms from Jammu, how her gang-rape and murder in January was covered up by the local police.The chargesheet, filed by the Crime Branch of JK
police, says that Asifa Bano was not fed for the four days that she was kept captive
She was put on sedatives while she was raped by three men
The drugs ensured she would not cry out loud, not even when she was strangled.The documents say all this happened under the watch of the
temple custodian Sanji Ram
His own son, Vishal, his nephew (a juvenile) and a special police officer, Deepak Khajuria, are also accused of raping her and are among the
8 men who were arrested by Crime Branch.It's a case I have followed from the day when Asifas' body was found on January 17
I have often trekked the forests of Rasana, where she was herding horses when she was lured away by the juvenile
A week later, her mutilated body was found among bushes in Rasana.This was not a criminal act alone
The motive was to further what many political parties, civil society groups and lawyers in Jammu have been demanding for long that nomads
and Gujjars, who are Muslim, should be evicted to prevent a "demographic change" in the Jammu region.The Crime Branch's investigations have
established that the atrocities against Asifa were meant to strike fear among nomads and bakarwals, who count for about less than 8 percent
KathuaThe nomads' demand for the implementation of the Forest Rights Act in Jammu and Kashmir, which would give them rights to use forest
land has been stonewalled by the BJP as its supporters hold that the Gujjars are encroachers
The state's Forest Minister Lal Singh has cited Article 370 which gives the state the right to clear or reject central laws to block the
implementation of the Forest Act.It's because of this reason of land and demography of its occupants that the hatred against nomads and
Daily harassment, attacks and burning their settlements of huts known as "Kullas" is routine.After the horrendous murder of Asifa, what was
more shocking that an entire village colluded to disallow Asifa's burial in a small plot of land owned by her father
The Hindus didn't want a graveyard to come up in Rasana village
The little coffin was carried far away
Asifa's body had to be buried several kilometres deep in the forest.Among the policemen who were sent to search for Asifa, after her father,
Yousuf, filed a police complaint about her kidnapping, was her alleged tormentor and rapist Deepak Khajuria
He even harassed and beat nomads visiting Rasana to offer their condolences to Asifa's family.After the child's burial, Yousuf and his wife
Naseema were barely able to speak to me
They were terrified to name the accused, fearing that they may be driven out of the village
It was a relative, Shariefa Bibi, who told me what exactly had happen
She was agitated after seeing the body of Asifa during her "Gusul" (final bath) before the burial
She told me how badly Asifa was violated
She and other relatives named the people behind the crime.They named Sanji Ram and his son
For me it was hard to believe that a father would mastermind a kidnapping of 8 year old and his son would rape her
They said Sanji Ram has a notorious past
Shariefa Begum was ready to face the consequences of her accusations.Sanji Ram surrendered on March 20, a week after Jammu and Kashmir High
Court directed Crime Branch to arrest him.Spearheading a brazen campaign against investigations was an organization called the Hindu Ekta
Sanji Ram was the key driver behind protests against Crime Branch investigations
I met him on March 3, during a bandh in Kathua in defense of the accused
Sanji Ram relayed confidence as he told me that he's "also fighting for justice for Asifa but the Crime Branch is only arresting innocent
political and social groups in Jammu including the BJP and Congress
They marched with the tricolour in their hands
They wanted an investigative agency of their choice
Dr Jitendra Singh, the local MP who is a minister in the Prime Minister's office, did not condemn the crime
He was the first senior leader to support the Hindu Ekta Manch.Besides MLAs, two senior BJP ministers, Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga,
attended rallies in support of the accused
They even warned the police against arresting any person in the case
Video of their speeches inciting crowd against the Crime Branch have gone viral
Will they ever face any action In 2016, Lal Singh had threatened a delegation of Gujjars with "Have you forgotten 1947", a reference to the
massacre of Muslims in Jammu.Anyone who spoke for Asifa was declared as a Pakistani agent and conspirator to upset Jammu's "peaceful"
Nomads demanding justice were beaten and injured by the police; the same police was escorting pro-rape rallies.It's a case where different
arms of the government and political groups colluded to subvert the investigation
Police station Hiranagr which initially investigated the case destroyed crucial evidence
The blood-soaked clothes of Asifa were washed before they were sent to a forensic lab
Two officials including a Sub-Inspector have also been charge-sheeted for destruction of evidence.The district hospital at Kathua took more
than two months to give a post-mortem report
The medical superintendent who had given a preliminary report confirming rape was suddenly transferred.A writ petition filed in February by
Asifa's family before the Jammu wing of the High Court ensured a fair investigation
At every hearing, the Crime Branch submitted a status report of its investigations and based on the available evidence, the High Court
ordered arrest of accused
But despite the court-monitored probe, lawyers and political parties opposed it ardently.The lawyers even blocked the court and prevented
the Crime Branch from filing the charge-sheet on Monday
Finally, when investigators managed to enter the court, the magistrate was reluctant to accept the charge-sheet
It took them six hours and intervention from the highest levels of the government and the court for the charge-sheet to finally be
accepted.Asifa's ghastly death - the worst possible end for a young child - highlights the growing communal tension in Jammu
The dangers of allowing it to surge for political benefit are immense.(Nazir Masoodi is 's Srinagar Bureau Chief)Disclaimer: The opinions
expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author
The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of and does not assume any responsibility or liability for the
