Speaking for the first time in public since the Kathua gangrape case, that rocked the country, President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday said such an incident occurring even after 70 years of India’s independence is “shameful”.
“After 70 years of independence, such an incident occurring in any part of the country is shameful. We have to think what kind of society are we developing. What are we giving our future generation? Are we building a society where women can enjoy justice, equality and independence, as provided for by our Constitution? It is our responsibility to ensure such a thing does not happen to any girl or woman,” Kovind said while delivering a speech at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University in Jammu’s Katra.
He added: "Perhaps the most beautiful thing in the world was the smile on the face of an innocent child...The greatest benchmark for society to judge its success would be to keep our children safe."
In Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, an eight-year-old Muslim nomadic girl was allegedly abducted, drugged, gangraped, tortured and killed. After being missing for a week, her body was found on January 17.
The recent investigation into the incident unfolded the details of the crime, and the accused were arrested, which trigged a protest march in support of the accused, while a group of lawyers tried to obstruct the police from filing the chargesheet.
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Unnao and Kathua rape cases as a “shame” for the country and asserted that the guilty will not be spared and daughters will get justice.
Expressing anguish over the two incidents which have triggered widespread outrage, the prime minister said such crimes challenge the very concept of social justice “and as a society and a country we all are ashamed of it.”
“I want to assure the nation that no criminal will be spared. Justice will be done. Our daughters will get justice. We all will have to work together to end this internal evil,” he said at an event to inaugurate the B.R. Ambedkar memorial in Delhi.
Modi’s remarks came amid mounting attacks by the opposition against the BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir alleging shielding of the accused due to political pressure.
