Rakib Altaf
SRINAGAR: A young female follower of Gulzar Ahmed Bhat, arrested on charges of sexually exploiting minor girls studying at his seminary in central Kashmir, has accused three policemen of raping her in custody.
She has also alleged that the police forced her to make a false statement against her ‘Spiritual Guide’ which she has now retracted.
The girl, in her teens, was part of protests by Bhat’s followers demanding his release at the Press Colony in Srinagar on May 23. Most of the protesters were arrested.
She has told the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Budgam that after her arrest, the Deputy Superintendent of Police, the Station House Officer and another unidentified cop of Khansahib area took her to an isolated spot and raped her.
The DSP is the investigating officer of the case. The girl has also alleged that the cops forced to make a statement that Gulzar Ahmed Bhat had repeatedly raped her at the seminary.
“They tortured me and threatened to kill my family if I did not say that he (Bhat) had raped me,” she writes in her complaint.
The CJM has forwarded the complaint to Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar for investigation and has given him a week’s time.
‘Ready For This’
Gulzar Bhat alias Syed Gulzar ran a residential institution for girls offering a crash course in spirituality.
Initially four minor girls deposed before a court that he had raped them repeatedly on the pretext of ‘purifying’ them of all evil.
The police later issued statements that another two girls had volunteered to depose against Bhat.
Whether the complainant, a resident of north Kashmir, was among them is not known as their identities were not revealed to the media.
The police say the fresh complaint by Bhat’s follower could be an attempt to mislead the case and sabotage investigations.
“We will investigate into it, but we have strong apprehensions that someone is trying to mislead the case. These things will happen,” a senior police officer told Freepress.
“We have to be ready for it,” he said.
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