Never Visited JNU, Providing Free Legal Services To Kathua Rape Victim’s Family: Lawyer Deepika Rajawat’s Response To Zee News Show

Lawyer Deepika Singh Rajawat, who is fighting the Kathua gangrape victim’s case, on Wednesday said she has never visited Jawaharwal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi as one person called “Mr. Bhatti” claimed on a national Hindi news channel during a show on Tuesday night. She said that it was a “calculated” attempt “to malign” her.

Rajawat, in a press statement, also said that she and her team of lawyers have been providing free legal services to the Kathua rape victim’s family.

“My attention has been drawn to a news broadcast on Zee TV (on the programme DNA) dated April 17, 2018, in which a false statement has been made by one Mr Bhatti to the anchor Mr Sudhir Chaudhary, that I have spent the last few days in JNU. I categorically deny that I have ever set foot in JNU. The statement is false to the knowledge of Mr Bhatti and is calculated to malign me,” she said in the statement.

Rajawat also claimed that her Twitter account has been hacked and lodged a complaint with the cyber cell of the Delhi Police regarding the issue.   

“My attention was drawn this afternoon to a Twitter account bearing the name “Deepika Singh” with the Twitter handle @DeepikaSRajawat carrying the banner photograph of the Kathua victim. The said account has been hacked in order to reactivate it, and I am hereby lodging a complaint with the Cyber Cell of Delhi Police, with reference to the said hacking.  Although the said Twitter account was created by me some years ago, it has not been operated by me since then at all. All the tweets that appear on the said account (@DeepikaSRajawat) at present have not been put out by me and I request you not to be misled into believing that I have posted the tweets,” she added in the statement.

Recently, Rajawat said she fears she can be "raped or killed".

"I don't know how long I will be alive. I can be raped...My modesty can be outraged. I can be killed, I can be damaged. I was threatened yesterday that 'we will not forgive you'. I am going to tell the Supreme Court tomorrow that I am in danger," Rajawat said on Sunday.

On Monday, the Supreme Court directed the Jammu and Kashmir government to provide security to the family members of the eight-year-old girl, along with their lawyer and a friend assisting them in pursuing the case.

The top court also took note of the victim's father's plea seeking transfer of the trial of the case from Kathua, preferably to Chandigarh, and sought the state government's response.

The minor girl was allegedly held in captivity in a small village temple in the Kathua district of Jammu region by the eight accused for a week, during which she was kept sedated and raped several times before being beaten to death.