Kathua minor’s rape & murder case: The hall of shame

The verdict in the Kathua minor’s rape and murder case has been announced by a special Pathankot court on Monday, ending the wait for justice for a crime that had left an entire nation shocked and numbed for its depravity.

The verdict in the Kathua minor’s rape and murder case has been announced by a special Pathankot court on Monday, ending the wait for justice for a crime that had left an entire nation shocked and numbed for its depravity.

The abduction, rape and killing of the Muslim Bakherwal girl was a part of the carefully planned strategy to remove the minority nomadic community from the area, police charge sheet had claimed. (Reuters file photo for representation)

Abducted on 10 January 2018, the minor girl was sedated and held captive inside a small temple where she was raped repeatedly for 5 days before being bludgeoned to death.

The abduction, rape and killing of the Muslim Bakherwal girl was a part of the carefully planned strategy to remove the minority nomadic community from the area, police charge sheet had claimed.

Here are some facts about the accused and their role in the gang rape and murder of the eight-year-old:

1. Sanji Ram, 60: A retired revenue department official was chargesheeted as the main conspirator who reportedly wanted to dislodge the nomadic Muslim Bakarwal community from his native Rasana village. He is accused of having incited his nephew, an alleged minor, to abduct the eight-year-old as a revenge for the Bakarwals having beaten up the boy in the past. Sanji Ram has been convicted under section 302 (murder) and 376-D (rape by a group acting with common intention) by the Pathankot special court.

2. Deepak Khajuria: A special police officer, who had a bone to pick with the Bakarwals. Deepak convinced Sanji Ram’s nephew to kidnap the girl with the assurance that he would help him get through his board exams. Deepak too has been convicted under section 302 (murder) and 376-D (rape by a group acting with common intention) by the Pathankot special court.

3. Parvesh Kumar, alias Mannu: A friend whom the juvenile took into confidence to execute the plan. On January 10, the juvenile and Parvesh drugged the girl in a forest. The juvenile raped her. Parvesh also attempted to rape her. They took the unconscious girl to Sanji Ram’s Devasthan (temple) and locked her up. There, she was drugged and gang-raped repeatedly. Parvesh was the third person to be convicted for murder and “rape by a group acting with common intention.”

3. Vishal Jangotra, alias Shamma: Sanji Ram’s son who studies in Meerut. He was also accused of raping the girl by the police. However, the Pathankot special court has acquitted him of all charges.

4. Tilak Raj: A head constable, he is accused of having struck a deal with Sanji Ram on January 12. He reportedly took ₹1.5 lakh bribe from Sanji Ram’s sister, Tripta Devi, to scuttle the probe. Tripta and Tilak were good friends and classmates at the government primary school in Dhamiyal. Tilak Raj has been convicted under section-201 of the IPC (causing disappearance of evidence & or lying to screen the offender.)

6. Anand Dutta Verma: A sub inspector, he was paid ₹3 lakh by January 13 through Tilak. After the girl’s body was recovered on January 17, he was paid another ₹1 lakh to cover up the crime. Anand and Tilak had cut a deal to tamper with the evidence for a total bribe amount of ₹5 lakh. In keeping with the brief, Anand had tutored the juvenile to stick to a fake version of events and agreed to wash the girl’s bloodstained clothes and leave out other evidence. Anand Dutta too was convicted by the court Monday.

7. Surinder Verma: A special police officer, he conducted a recce of the surroundings of Sanji Ram’s Devasthan on January 14. He has been convicted along with Tilak Raj under section-201 of IPC.

The 8th accused in the case is a juvenile and nephew of the main accused Sanji Ram, who was convicted for murder by the court today. The minor is accused of strangulating the girl to death before bludgeoning her face with a stone twice. His trial hasn’t begun as the petition on his age is yet to be heard by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.