Jammu, Sept 5 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma on Saturday said the fight for justice was far from over in the case of a minor Gujjar girl who died during an abortion following a sexual assault.
Sharma, who is Leader of Opposition in the J&K Assembly, was speaking to media persons after visiting the family of the deceased girl in the remote Chatroo area of Kishtwar district.
The 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her teacher for months, resulting in her pregnancy and death on August 20 during an abortion bid. Her death prompted demands for a thorough and independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death, following which the case was handed over to the Crime Branch on August 29.
Two more persons were taken into custody by the Crime Branch, bringing the total number of those arrested in the case so far to nine. The arrested persons include the alleged rapist teacher, a nurse, and two hospital sanitary workers who were subsequently dismissed.
The BJP leader said the crime had “crossed all limits of brutality” and “shamed humanity”, while asserting that people had risen above political and personal differences to stand with the victim’s family.
He said the BJP leadership had been in continuous contact with the family and the administration and that one of the key demands—to hand over the investigation to the Crime Branch—had been fulfilled.
Raising concerns about the socio-economic position of the Gujjar community in the region, Sharma alleged that the community had faced suppression for a long time and said incidents targeting its children needed to be viewed seriously.
Referring to the BJP-led government at the Centre, Sharma said the empowerment of marginalised communities had received greater attention under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI TAS TAS AMJ AMJ
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