Special public prosecutors from J&K visit crime scene

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Pathankot, June 27

Two special public prosecutors, engaged by the J&K Government to contest the Kathua rape and murder case, visited the crime scene at Rasana village in Kathua district on Wednesday.

Santokh Singh Basra and JK Chopra, who is also the Pathankot District Attorney, visited the forest area from where the body of the girl was recovered on January 17.

Earlier, a “missing” report was filed at the Hiranagar police station on the complaint of the victim’s father. The special public prosecutors were provided an escort vehicle by the Hiranagar police. Rasana village is about 40 km away from Pathankot.

The police have named eight accused in the case, out of which one is a juvenile. A decision on another accused, being declared a juvenile, will be taken by the Pathankot District and Sessions Judge Dr Tejwinder Singh on July 2.

Basra and Chopra also visited Devisthan, where the girl was subjected to brutality. Basra termed the visit a “spot inspection”.

The case was being heard in a Kathua court before the Supreme Court shifted it to Pathankot. There are more than 200 witnesses in the case and their ‘examination-in-chief’ and cross-examination will begin on July 2.

The trial will start at 12 noon. Earlier, the judge used to start the hearing at 11.30 am.

The judge has already ordered the Kathua Jail Superintendent, Mushtaq, to facilitate a meeting between the accused and their relatives between 9 am and 9.30 am.

All seven accused travel to Pathankot from Kathua under heavy police protection provided by the J&K Police under directions from the Supreme Court.

A Punjab Police vehicle escorts the bus from Madhopur, which is on the Kathua-Pathankot road.

Meanwhile, the Pathankot Police are yet to take a decision on Chopra’s application, seeking security cover.

SSP Vivek Sheel Soni said the matter was being looked into. “The decision will be taken at the right time,” he added.