Ram Nath Kovind terms Kathua gang-rape and murder shameful

President Ram Nath Kovind, who arrived in Jammu on a two-day visit on Wednesday, termed the Kathua gang-rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl as shameful.

“After 70 years of independence, such an incident occurring in any part of the country is shameful,” the President said while speaking at the convocation ceremony of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU) in Katra.

“None of our daughters should go through such brutality and it is every citizen’s responsibility to ensure that they get a safe environment to thrive in,” Kovind added.

During his two-day stay in Jammu, the President is also scheduled to meet the Chief Justice, Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar and other judges of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court over breakfast.

Before the President's address, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, while condemning the Kathua rape and murder case, said, “How can someone do such a cruel thing to a small girl who is a manifestation of Mata Vaishno Devi, there is something wrong with the society.”

The horrific gang-rape and brutal murder of eight-year-old nomad girl in Kathua district has sparked anger and outrage not only in the state but across the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week spoke for the first time assuring people that no culprit would be spared and complete justice would be done. “Our daughters will definitely get justice,” Modi said in reference to Kathua and Unnao rape cases.

Ever since the mutilated body of the eight-year-old victim was found in Rassana forests of Kathua on January 17, a week after her abduction, the case has become a religious flashpoint in an already polarised state.

An investigation revealed that the attack was rooted in religious politics, with a group of local men planning to scare away Muslim nomad Bakarwal community members by committing the heinous crime.

Forensic reports state that the victim was drugged, repeatedly raped, burned, bludgeoned with a rock and strangled.