Its shameful and dangerous to question Crime Branch team on Region and Religion grounds
Srinagar: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today turned down the down the demand of CBI probe into horrible Rasana gang rape and murder case saying there is no need for a CBI probe into the rape and murder of an eight-year-old Bakerwal girl in Kathua. if you don’t trust J&K Police, there is no one left to be trusted in the state, she said.
Talking to the mediapersons Mehbooba while expressing regret over the propoganda initiated by some vested elements to malign the image of Crime Branch team, said “To question the officers of the Crime Branch team based on their religion or region they belong to is shameful and dangerous”. “Each time there is a crime, we can’t organise a referendum to choose the team of investigators,” she said, adding, “Those who question the Crime Branch investigation have a vested interest and their aim is to protect the perpetrators of this heinous crime”.
“I am very clear about this case. J&K Police’s Crime Branch has done a very good investigation, collected all the evidence scientifically. Now the trial will be in the court, which will decide the outcome. We are convinced that there is absolutely no need for a CBI inquiry. We cannot take such a decision because the accused are demanding it,’’ Mufti said.
Referring to the demands of pro accused loby, she said “Why are the accused in this case desperately seeking a CBI inquiry? Why are they convinced about the outcome of such an inquiry? And when does a government decide the investigating agency based on what the accused in such a case want? We have serious challenges ahead and we cannot allow a communal flare-up to burn everything in our state. Our government handled this case very well. Any misstep could have lead to a situation where the entire state would have burnt in communal violence,” she said.
“Look at the details of this case, the findings of the Crime Branch investigation – an eight-year-old child was kidnapped, drugged, raped in a devasthan, a place of worship, and then brutally murdered. The heinousness of this crime is beyond words and we were extremely worried that this may become a trigger for a wide-spread communal violence. Our administration didn’t allow that. But unfortunately, this horrible crime was used for politics,’’ she said.
“We won’t allow anybody to question officers and men of our J&K Police only because they belong to a particular faith or religion… Still, the Crime Branch team that probed this case is mixed,’’ she said.“Those who question our police need to know that the J&K Police is an institution and has been working above everything. It doesn’t function with sectarian motives. They are sacrificing their lives, their houses are being attacked and how can I tell them you aren’t trustworthy enough to investigate a case where the accused question your motivation?