English
Srinagar, Apr 18: The defence lawyer of accused in Kathua rape and murder case landed in a controversy on Tuesday when he made a sexist remark on an investigating officer of the probe team. Advocate Ankur Sharma, who is a counsel for five out of the eight accused in Kathua case, said the probe was led by a woman cop and that it was beyond her “intelligence” to work on this case.
“Shwetambri kya hai, ladki hai. Uska kitna hi dimaag hoga (What is Shwetambri, she is a girl, how intelligent can she be?) She is a new officer and by showing her a few circumstantial evidences, some people made her believe that the crime has been committed in this fashion,” Sharma told a news channel. “She was misguided by someone,” the defence lawyer added.
The remarks came after Shwetambri Sharma, the lone woman officer in the Special Investigative Team (SIT) of the Crime Branch that probe Kathua gangrape and murder case, spoke on the hardships she faced for joining the investigation. Sharma called the investigators and bureaucrats “mere puppets” and asked, “If she faced so many hurdles, why didn’t she inform her superiors about it?”
The Jammu-based advocate said witnesses were tortured by the Crime Branch to extract favourable statements against the accused. “All witnesses examined by the Crime Branch have stated that they were tortured by the police and were always told what to say and what not to say. Around 40 to 50 people have said that they have been tortured by the crime branch to give favourable statements,” he said.
An eight-year-old girl was abducted on January 10 and held captive inside a temple in Rasana village of Hiranagar area. She was drugged and raped repeatedly before being murdered. Her body was found dumped in the adjoining forest area on January 17. The Jammu and Kashmir police produced eight accused before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Kathua on Monday. The next hearing will take place on April 28.
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