New Delhi, April 15 (TNS): Even as outrage grows over the horrific brutality by the perpetrators and the Centre’s alleged delayed action in the Kathua rape case where a 8 year old Muslim girl was raped and then murdered by hardliner Hindus, Indian state of Madhya Pradesh’s BJP chief Nandkumar Singh Chouhan chose to accuse Pakistan of executing the barbaric crime to create a divide on communal lines in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
An eight-year-old girl was kidnapped and gang-raped for days in a Hindu mandir before being bludgeoned to death in January, with the recently filed chargesheet in the case revealing spine-chilling gory details of the crime.
Elaborating on his claim regarding the involvement of Pakistan in the crime, Chouhan told reporters, “If ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans are raised in Kashmir after the rape of a child who is a daughter of Hindustan, then it must be Pakistani agents who have come here and done so in order to create differences among us.”
Chouhan made the comment in Khandwa, where he had joined other BJP leader to observe a day-long fast to protest against the washout of Parliamentary proceedings, the Times of India reporters.
Explaining his statement, the BJP leader further said, “There is not even 1% Hindu population in Kashmir. There, the helpless Hindu cowers and cannot even open his mouth, how can he raise ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans? In Kashmir, whatever is happening, it can only be Pakistani agents.” He also added that rapists had no religion and said, “Such a crime, wherever it happens, is a blot on humanity.”
When the Times of India asked him to clarify if he had a specific input from Jammu and Kashmir to back such a claim, he denied receiving any such input and said, “I replied to a query raised by a television anchor. I have no input on the incident. Hindus are in a minority in Jammu & Kashmir and they will not chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ after committing a crime.” He, however, reportedly reiterated his claim and said, “It was Pakistan-backed militants who raped and murdered the girl. They have a motive to instigate communal sentiments and provoke Hindus and Muslims against each other.”
Meanwhile, opposition party Congress slammed Chouhan for his comments, saying, “Since he is the state BJP chief, Chauhan could say rapes in Madhya Pradesh are also committed by people from Pakistan,” the Times of India reported.
An eight-year-old girl child, belonging to a Muslim nomadic community, was allegedly kidnapped, sedated and raped by six men for a week at a temple in Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir before being bludgeoned to death. The crime was reportedly committed just to scare away the minority Bakherwal community from the Rassana village.
Courtesy: Times of India
