Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday visited Budgam in central Kashmir to meet the family of a minor girl who was allegedly raped and murdered, an incident that has triggered outrage across Kashmir.
A statement said the Chief Minister visited the residence of the minor girl to offer condolences to the bereaved family.
“He expressed profound grief over the tragic incident and prayed for strength and patience for the family in this hour of immense sorrow,” it said.
The Chief Minister said the incident had shaken the conscience of society and asserted that such elements had no place in a civilised society. He assured the family that the culprits would be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law.
A man has been arrested for allegedly raping and murdering the 12-year-old girl in Budgam district, officials said. The girl, who went missing from the Galwanpora area of Budgam on Saturday evening, was found murdered around 200 metres from her house the next day.
Meanwhile, Hurriyat chairman and Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Tuesday claimed that he was placed under house arrest early in the morning after being denied permission to visit Budgam to offer condolences.
“It is strange that even a basic humanitarian gesture of expressing sympathy and condolence with the bereaved threatens the rulers and their narrative of “peace and normalcy,” he said.
The authorities’ decision to not allow him to visit Budgam was criticised by Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti.
“Nothing justifies the mindless action of putting Mirwaiz Sahab under house arrest thereby preventing him from visiting the Budgam victim’s family,” Mufti said, adding, “All of Kashmir is grieving over this tragedy.”
Budgam MLA and advocate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi has announced that he would personally assist and fight the legal battle for the victim’s family to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
“I will personally extend every possible legal assistance and support to ensure justice is delivered and no guilty person escapes accountability,” he said.
