Kathua rape: “Selective outrage can’t heal Kashmir’s old scars”   

Two women were raped and murdered in 2009 in Shopian but the culprits have never been punished.

Shakeel Ahmad Aghangar, husband of a 22-year-old woman and brother of the 17-year-old who were raped and murdered, said, “The eight-year-old raped and killed in Kathua is like my daughter. Who else can better understand the pain of her parents? If only the government had punished culprits responsible for the rape and murder of my wife and sister, it would have prevented many such cases in the state.”

Ruing the politicisation of such incidents, he said: “PDP made justice for the two women its main poll plank in run up to the state assembly elections but forgot about it soon after coming to power.”

The solidarity shown by people and media across the country with the Kathua rape and murder victim’s family has created an “emotional bond” between Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country, senior J&K People’s Democratic Party leader and state government spokesman, Naeem Akhtar said in Srinagar.

His party chief and J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on April 13 said “Heartening to see the Supreme Court take cognisance of the attempted obstruction of justice by some lawyers in the brutal Kathua rape and murder case reminding us once again of the greatness of this nation. While it may seem to get bogged down by different discourses at times, its DNA of love & compassion always remains the same.”

Even though the clamour for justice to the victim’s family grew after a gap of almost three months, Akhtar said “the bond should continue to grow and Kashmiris be treated as its own people” by the country. In the same breath, he added the state had many other “wounds” and the people of the country should look at the people of Jammu and Kashmir with compassion.

But not many people in Kashmir Valley—where violent protests against the security forces are on the rise—agree with Akhtar’s first assertion. This sentiment was echoed by former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who asked on April 14, “Why did India wake up so late to a child rape and murder?”

Though many residents in the Valley appreciate the “basic humanitarian concern” shown by the media and people in different parts of the country, they feel that the selective outrage and solidarity—as was seen in Kathua rape and murder case—can’t heal the old scars.

Ifrah Butt, one of the co-authors of Do We Remember Kunan Poshpora, a book on the mass rape victims said, “It is rather unfortunate that we have to mount pressure on the government to act even in such cases.”

In this case, she said, the government woke up only after a hue and cry was raised by the media and civil society in one voice to demand justice for the aggrieved family.

She was, however, sceptical about the final outcome of the case. “I’m not sure if the family will get justice in the current case. We’ve a plethora of examples where investigations went on for long without taking the case to any logical conclusion. Who has forgotten Kunan, Poshpora and Shopian rape cases?”

“The way people across India have raised their voice against the horrific incident in Kathua, it did connect with the people of our state emotionally but the political fault lines are still there,” said Shahnawaz Mantoo, a Valley-based political analyst. “The government is doing absolutely nothing to connect with the people politically.”