Crime

Kathua rape and murder case: One Billion Rising calls for ‘independent, impartial probe of cases of sexual violence in Kashmir’

One Billion Rising, one of the biggest mass action campaign which aims to end violence against women, in wake of the Kathua rape and murder case has called for an independent, impartial investigation of cases of sexual violence in Indian Administered Kashmir.

The campaign has also demanded that a fact finfing team of United Nations should be sent to Kashmir in order to investigate human rights violations ‘perpetrated on a massive scale by the Indian Armed Forces’ in Kashmir.

“The rape and murder of 8 year old needs to be understood in the paradigm of widespread militarization in Jammu and Kashmir, which is the densest military occupation in the world today. The conflict has claimed more than 70,000 lives so far, and continues to generate a vast range of unimaginable forms of violence, including tens of thousands of victims of severe torture, as well as the recent blinding of hundreds of young men and women who were hit in their eyes with pellets fired from shotguns,” the campaign website says.

“The systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war by the armed forces is a common feature of this militarized violence. Accompanied by legal and political impunity and zero records of prosecution of crimes by the armed forces, non-state actors too have felt emboldened to perpetrate sexual violence as a tool of hegemonic politics,” it further adds.

One Billion Rising was launched on Valentine’s Day 2012, began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. On 14 February 2013, people across the world came together to express their outrage, strike, dance, and RISE in defiance of the injustices women suffer, demanding an end at last to violence against women.

On Wednesday, the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti said that ‘something is wrong with the society.’

“How can someone do such a cruel thing to a small girl who is a manifestation of Mata Vaishno Devi? There is something wrong with the society.”

Earlier the President of India while addressing the convocation had said that the Kathua incident is shameful. 

Narendra Modi, after prongled silence on Kathua and Unnao rape cases broke his silence and said that ‘our daughters will get justice.’

“I want to assure that no criminal will be spared; our daughters will get justice,” said PM, in an apparent reference to Unnao and Kathua cases.

“Such incidents shake our sensibilities,” he said, according to PTI news agency.

Earlier, two BJP Ministers who had rallied in support of the Kathua accused were forced to resign.

The BJP had said that both the ministers were ‘misled and misguided by a few people.’ The main opposition party National Conference had said that they will consider a civil disobedience movement against the government if they fail to take action against the ‘erring ministers’.

However, after resigning, Lal Singh on Tuesday began a march to demand CBI probe into the case.

“The fight is for justice only and its will be done with identifying real culprits,” Singh said while addressing hundreds of supporters at Satwari Chowk in Jammu as he began his Kathua march. “She was our own daughter. We are fighting to punish her culprits but it is unfortunate that people living far away are interpreting this case without knowing the facts,” he said.

The BJP dissociated itself from Singh’s rally. They also said that the party has also initiated an internal inquiry against two axed ministers Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga for earlier participating in Hindu Ekta Manch rally in support of the accused.

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