The Kathua rape and murder case has left a trail of legal and political upheaval, from its shocking brutality to ongoing judicial proceedings
In January 2018, an eight-year-old girl was abducted, raped, and murdered in Kathua village. According to the Crime Branch report, the minor was held captive, drugged, beaten, and repeatedly raped from January 10 to 15, 2018. The sheer brutality of the crime provoked widespread outrage. However, some political figures from the BJP expressed support for the accused.
The Kathua case brought the BJP-PDP ruling alliance to the brink of collapse, leading to the resignation of BJP ministers Choudhary Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga. Their resignation was aimed at preserving the coalition government, as Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had taken a firm stand on the issue.
The two ministers had participated in a Hindu Ekta Manch rally on March 1 to protest the arrests of the Kathua case accused. In April 2018, the Jammu High Court Bar Association began an agitation demanding that the investigation be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). They also called for a bandh on April 11, 2018. PDP leader Naeem Akhtar, who was also the government spokesman at the time, described the April 11 bandh in Jammu as a "pro-rapist bandh."
Following the rally supporting the accused and attempts by lawyers in Kathua to obstruct the submission of the chargesheet, the case was moved to Pathankot, Punjab, for hearings based on Supreme Court directions.
In his 432-page judgment, the district and sessions judge of Pathankot described the crime as "devilish and monstrous." He stated, "The circumstantial evidence is complete in itself and cannot be explained by any hypothesis other than the guilt of the accused. Such evidence is consistent with the guilt of the accused."
The judgment also noted that the motive behind the crime was reflected in the statement of accused Sanji Ram. Sanji Ram had stated that the complainant and the major private witnesses belonged to the Bakerwal community and that they resided in the area during the winter months.
On December 21, 2021, the Punjab and Haryana High Court suspended the remaining sentence and jail term of dismissed police sub-inspector Anand Dutta and ordered his release upon the furnishing of surety bonds.
Lawyer Deepika Pushkar Nath, who initially took up the case for the victim, commented, "The rape incident in Kolkata has shaken me deeply. Having fought tirelessly for justice in the Kathua case, I understand the pain and anguish of advocating for the voiceless. During my fight for the Kathua victim, I faced abuse, ridicule, and mental torture, but my resolve for justice never wavered. Even when former State Ministers tried to politicize and communalize the issue, I remained steadfast."
She added that after the horrific incident in Kolkata, "we see two kinds of protests: one by women genuinely demanding an end to rape culture, and another by a political party that ignored the Kathua victim but now seeks to position itself as a savior in Kolkata."
Nath, who had joined the Congress party, resigned last year after Lal Singh joined the Congress.