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Bandipora Rape: She Doesn't Even Understand What Happened To Her, Says Minor Girl's Mother

The family of the accused, who raped the minor girl in the Sumbal area of Kashmir's Bandipora, has been asked to leave the village amid rising hostilities.
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Amid protests, over the rape of a three-year-old girl in Kashmir’s Bandipora, that left 40 security personnel and at least a dozen civilians injured on Monday, the family of the girl is distraught.

The girl’s mother told The Indian Express, “I found her lying on the bathroom floor. Her clothes had been peeled off her, but not torn. She has been sleeping most of the time but I can feel how much pain she is in. She doesn’t even understand what has happened.”

The girl is the youngest of three siblings.

Amid rising hostility in the area, a neighbour of the girl told The Indian Express that the family of the arrested accused had been asked to leave the village in Sumbal in Bandipora.

On Monday, protesters raised slogans in support of their demand for exemplary punishment to the accused who is in police custody, the officials said.

They said the shops and business establishments remained closed in the entire town as local residents assembled under the banner of Imam Khomeni Memorial Trust and took out a massive rally.

Students joined the rally which went round various parts in the town and concluded peacefully at Kalon Rahim Khan Chowk.

The vice chairman of the trust, Sheikh Bair Shakir, urged the government to deal with such heinous cases on a fast track basis and ensure exemplary punishment to the culprits in a time-bound manner.

Congress rebel leader and former MLA Asgar Ali Karbali expressed solidarity with the family of the victim and said the people of Kargil would not remain mute spectator to such gruesome incidents.

“We want our society a better place for every one especially the girls and the women. The government should ensure investigation of rape cases on fast track basis and deliver speedy justice to the victim by setting up special courts,” he said.

The three-year-old girl was allegedly raped in Sumbal area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, prompting the Jammu and Kashmir Police to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the incident.

Governor directs probe on fast-track basis

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik directed the police to complete investigations in the alleged rape of a three-year-old girl in Bandipora district on a fast track basis.

Malik directed the Divisional Commissioner and the Inspector General of Police of Kashmir to personally monitor the investigation, an official spokesman said.

Malik expressed deep shock and pain over incident and took a detailed report of the ongoing investigation in the case.

The spokesman said a separate inquiry has also been ordered to check the veracity of the age of the accused and ascertain the authenticity of the age certificate.

Preliminary medical examination of the youth accused of raping the girl has shown that he is not a juvenile, police said Monday.

The governor has assured the people that the administration is taking all step for maintaining public order and anybody having any grievance or apprehension should contact the police control room or the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir’s office, the spokesman said.

The governor also appealed to the people not to pay heed to rumours and said rumour mongers will be dealt strictly as per the law, he said.

(With PTI inputs)

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.