Rahul Gandhi appeals not to politicise Kathua rape-murder case

New Delhi: Strongly condemning the brutality against the eight-year-old Kathua rape victim, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that this is a crime against humanity and cannot go unpunished.

He also appealed not to politicise the unimaginable brutality against an innocent child.

"How can anyone protect the culprits of such evil? What happened to Asifa at Kathua is a crime against humanity. It cannot go unpunished," he said in a tweet.

"What have we become if we allow politics to interfere with such unimaginable brutality perpetrated on an innocent child," he asked.

https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/984384655053983746

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said there would be no obstruction of justice in the rape and murder case of the girl.

Her tweet comes after the Jammu Bar Association staged protests against the handling of the case by the Jammu and Kashmir Police Crime Branch. It has also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.

Also Read: Kathua rape: CM Mehbooba assures no obstruction of justice

Eight people, including the mastermind Sanji Ram, have been charged with abduction, raping and murdering the 'Bakerwal' (nomadic) minor in Kathua's Rasana village in January.

Investigations have revealed that the victim was held in a temple, drugged, repeatedly raped and finally murdered to scare the Bakerwal community out of the village.

Sanji Ram has also been charged with bribing local policemen, including a sub-inspector and a head constable, to destroy vital evidence.