The horrific rape and murder of an 8-year-old in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua earlier this year was “a minor incident”, according to the new Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta.
In a video posted by Congress leader Salman Nizami, Gupta is heard saying, “The Kathua incident is a minor one and shouldn’t be given much importance.”
“It is a minor incident. Such things do happen and they shouldn’t be blown up so much. We should ensure justice,” he said. However, while clarifying his statements, later on, the newly-elected deputy CM said, “The Supreme Court is yet to give its verdict on the case. There is no point in discussing the topic over and over again. I said there are a lot of similar cases and this particular one should not be exaggerated.”
The incident had sparked a nationwide outcry earlier this month after details of the crime were released in a police indictment, saying that it was designed to intimidate the girl’s Muslim nomad community and drive them out of the area in Jammu.
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