SRINAGAR, July 13: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday favoured “strict action” against those accused of molesting a girl at a public place in Guwahati recently.
Terming the incident as unfortunate, Omar said a strict dealing in the case would deter others to indulge in such sort of shameful acts.
However back home, the ‘abduction and gang rape’ of a 16-year-old girl from Mamoosa area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district on July 7 hasn’t ruffled any feathers among the political class.
“It is a very unfortunate incident. Women are considered as goddess in our country. It is a matter of shame for all to see women being treated in these way.
It took three days to take action against the accused and that too after the media publicised it. It is really sad. ,” Omar said while commenting on the Guwahati incident where a 17-year-old girl was molested publicly by a mob.
The chief minister has also people to “introspect into themselves” and not hold the authorities alone responsible for such incidents.
“One needs to look within as to what kind of person are we? How could one behave in such a way with a girl of 11th standard on roads? What sort of men are we? What message are we giving to our mothers, sisters and relatives by such acts? We need to ponder over it,” he said.
Abdullah asked the Orissa government to work and “take strict action”.
However, while the molestation case in orissa garnered much space on national television channels, some even having debates about making it a non-bailable offence, an incident of rape in North Kashmir failed to get similar attention.
One of the leading English dailies of Kashmir quoted the father of Baramulla-girl that his daughter, on way home after appearing in an examination, was ‘forcibly dragged by a group of youth into a car near Wussan who forced themselves on her’.
“She was later dumped in tattered condition near our village where from a man accompanied her to home,” he said.
The victim’s father, quoted the newspaper, is worried about the ‘callous approach’ of the police in investigating the case.
“The case was registered on July 8 and two of the culprits are already identified but despite passing of 5 days no arrest has been made,” he alleged.
