Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh holds ‘Public Durbar’ in Kathua district
Several issues raised by individual citizens and delegations were resolved on the spot, while instructions for immediate action were issued in several other cases.
A near total shutdown was observed in the district headquarters of Kathua on Saturday in support of the demand for handing over enquiry of a case pertaining to alleged rape and murder of a 8-year-old girl in January, to the CBI.
The Hindu Ekta Manch (HEM) had given the bandh call as it was not satisfied with the investigations carried out by the crime branch of the state police.
They alleged that the police were harassing people of a particular community. Some women and children of the village had last week migrated to Hira Nagar but the police denied this.
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The demand for CBI probe has assumed political overtones as the political parties in the state are divided on the issue.
Jammu-based political parties and HEM want the case to be handed over to the CBI, whereas the Kashmir-based parties and the separatists are opposing such a move.
Two ministers, Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga on Thursday visited the village where the crime was reported and they supported the demand for CBI probe.
Minister of state in the PMO, Jitendera Singh, had said there was no harm in transferring the case to CBI.
Meanwhile, Opposition National Conference on Saturday termed the participation of senior Cabinet ministers of the PDP-BJP government in the HEM event at Kathua as an open challenge to the authority of chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. He said this was a proof that ministers of the government were interferring into the ongoing investigation.
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