Sumbal (Bandipora): It had only been a few days since three-year-old Maryam had started attending Maktab to learn the Quran with the other children of the village. Since she was too young to read the verses of the holy book, her teacher, put her onto learning alphabets.

On Wednesday evening, after she returned home from Maktab little Maryam was exhilarated to find her uncle in their tin-roofed shanty house. It was then that the Azaan began echoing from the loudspeaker of a nearby mosque marking the start of the Iftar period, the time after sunset when Muslims break their fast during the month of Ramadan.

Her uncle, Gulam, left for the evening prayers and Maryam followed after him.

“She came with me outside. I held her hand and took her up to the mosque, which is a few meters away and then told her to go back home. She willingly left,” Gulam said.

As Maryam was nearing her house, a local youth who she knew as a resident of her neighbourhood, approached her with a few chewing gums. She accepted them while he scooped her up and took her away.

The boy took her to a nearby government school. At that time, most people were either having Iftar or praying in the mosque.

After 15 minutes, the shopkeeper from whom he had bought the chewing gums, saw him passing by on the road. But, there was no sign of Maryam.

Half-an-hour passed by but Maryam didn’t show up. She must be with her uncle, was her mother Jabeena’s initial assumption. After waiting around for a few more minutes, soon left the house to find Maryam.

Jabeena was unable to find her. Even Gulam had left the mosque by then. As last remnants of daylight began fading, Jabeen started frantically looking for her daughter

A small hamlet with 80 households, Malikpora, is thirty kilometres away from Srinagar. The village is surrounded by paddy fields with a pond on one side. Jabeena was worried that Maryam might have gone to close to the water body.

She kept calling out her name but with no avail. As she was heading towards the pond, a lady from the neighbourhood told her that she had heard cries from the toilet of the government school, which is a stone’s throw away from Jabeena’s house.

Jabeena rushed to the school and begun calling out Maryam’s name only to get a cry in response.

“She was crying. As I opened the door of the toilet I saw her sitting on the floor with her trousers down,” she told News18.

“I thought she has peed in her trouser. But when I tried to lift her up, I realised that there was blood on her legs,” she recalled.

Jabeena took the 3-year-old home where her husband, Ahmad, had also come by that time. The two asked Maryam what she had been doing there.

“She told us that a bayya(referred to someone elder) gave her chewing gums and took her there,” said Jabeena. As Maryam sat narrating her tale, Jabeena and her husband realised that she had been raped.

Ahmad and Jabeena took Maryam and left to look for the perpetrator. He was around the same shop from where he had brought the ominous chewing gums.

“Maryam recognised her and told her father that he (the perpetrator) had taken her to the school,” said Jabeena. Ahmad caught him and took him to his parents. Maryam, her mother said, narrated the same incident there.

The perpetrator was later arrested by the police. According to locals, he raped her in the toilet of the school. Locals say that the accused was working a car mechanic in nearby Sumbal town and is 20-years-old.

Police have constituted a special investigating team to probe the case.

“We have started the investigations. The SIT is working, the suspect has been arrested,” Zahid Malik, Superintendent of Police Bandipora told News18.

As per the shopkeeper, the accused bought five chewing gums and two shampoo packets. The next day, the shopkeeper is said to have found used shampoo packets at the spot where the minor was allegedly raped.

“Perhaps he had used the shampoo while raping her,” the shopkeeper said.

Reeling from the incident, Maryam is now in a state of perpetual shock and often breaks into a sob. She is still unable to walk properly.

To console her, Jabeena takes the child to the nearby fields. “Hang him. How can anyone do this to a kid,” said Jabeena, with her anger filled eyes. “What had she done? I feel like killing myself.”

Meanwhile, protests have erupted in Kashmir following reports of the rape. In Srinagar, protest rallies were taken out with a number of placards that read – ‘Hang the Rapist’. People from all walks of life including politicians have expressed their anger and condemned the incident, demanding a speedy investigation in the case.

The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, said that such people should be “stoned to death.”

“Mortified to hear about the rape of a 3-year-old girl in Sumbal. What kind of a sick pervert would do this? Society often blames women for inviting unwanted attention but what was this child’s fault? Times like these, Shariah law seems apt so that such paedophiles are stoned to death,” she tweeted.

IAS officer-turned-politician, Shah Faesal, echoed the view and demanded that the culprit be sent to the gallows.

Earlier, another shocking rape case surfaced in Bandipora district in which a girl was raped by her father.

Courtesy (News18)

(All names have been changed to protect identities).

Peerzada Zubair

Kupwara, May 13 : A body of a mentally challenged woman has been found in public park in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on early Monday.

Reports reaching Kashmir Despatch said that a dead body of unidentified non local mentally challenged woman found in public park in Kupwara town by a passerby this morning.

A police official also confirmed to Kashmir Despatch and said that the body has been recovered from public park. officer said that a case has been registered in this regard and investigations taken up.

Pertainally this is third such dead body which has been found in consecutive three days in parts of Kashmir , earlier dead bodies of unidentified person’s have been recovered in Pampore and another in Kashmir’s capital city Srinagar.

Kashmir Despatch News

Bandipora, May 12 : Authorities on late Sunday ordered closure of all govt. as well private educational institutions in North Kashmir’s Sonawari tehsil tomorrow on Monday.

District Magistrate Bandipora in a statement said that all educational institutions in tehsil Sonawari shall remain closed tomorrow as a precautionary measure.

Pertainally step has been taken as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order problem in the district following protests against rape case of 03 year old girl.

In wake of protests across northern parts of Kashmir against rape case of 03 year old girl authorities suspended internet services in Baramulla, Bandipora to prevent the spread of rumours that would affect law and order in the district.

Srinagar, May 12 : Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Sunday asserted that the incumbent governor administration has abjectly failed to deliver on the daunting issues that the state is facing, saying that the people across the state are ruing for basic facilities.

Scores of delegations called upon party’s provincial spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar here at the party head quarters Nawa- e- Subha, Srinagar on Sunday and apprised him about the paucity of various essential amenities in their areas. The people who had called upon the provincial spokesperson apprised him that the sky rocketing prices and inadequate supply of electricity has dampened their Ramazaan festivities. The visiting delegation also appraised the party spokesperson about the appalling condition of roads, by lanes, alleys in their respective areas.

Party’s provincial spokesperson while interacting with the visiting delegations said, “The situation is no different across the valley. Unfortunately the administration has left the people to fend for them. It was expected of the state administration to rise up to the demands of the people by ensuring them all basic and effective amenities. But the administration seems to have no compassion for the people who continue to hanker for basic and effective amenities,” he said adding, “The implementation of NFSA has adversely affected lackhs of APL and BPL consumers in the state. The ambiguous categorization of consumer enrollment undertaken by the former BJP-PDP government has made it difficult for the people to run their households. During the holy month of Ramazaan, there is an exponential increase in the demand of people especially Sugar. It was expected of the incumbent governor administration to rise up to the occasion and increase the quota of ration especially Sugar during the month of Ramazaan, but to our dismay nothing was done in that direction as well.”

While interacting with the visiting delegation Imran said that the ill- fated North Pole South Pole alliance of PDP and BJP hit every single vital sector of the state adversely. “The former coalition partners BJP and PDP have ruined the institutions of the state and their working. The ineptitude that has beset the administration is a gift of former BJP-PDP government. People are ambiguous as to where they should turn to for help. People have come to understand the slyness of PDP and the proxies of BJP in the state. The former BJP-PDP government has punched the stomachs of people and has been anti poor throughout its stint in power,” he said.

Imran assured the visiting delegations that he would raise their concerns at an appropriate forum. “People do remember the former NC government led by Omar Sahib for its pro poor measures. People do remember how former government led by Omar Sahib gave free ration to the people post 2014 floods for six months. Keeping in view the good work in terms of infrastructure augmentation, and ensuring basic facilities, people are turning to us for help. National Conference has always prized the belief of people in it, and we will continue to lend voice to them. The party leadership has been making repeated appeals to the governor administration to ensure steady supply of electricity, ration to people. However our pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears. I take this opportunity and urge the incumbent governor administration to make it a priority to rise up to the exigencies of the ensuing holy month and ensure speedy mitigation of the problems of people,’’ he said.

Srinagar, May 12 : President Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement, Dr Shah Faesal has said in his Mother’s Day felicitation message that only mothers can rescue our world from the storm of hate and divisiveness.

Shah Faesal recalled the contribution mothers have made in the history of mankind by not only gifting to our world greatest poets, philosophers and scientists but also by being custodians of the sentiments of love and sacrifice.

“Mother’s Day is a special day dedicated to all mothers to salute and acknowledge their selfless service and contribution to the mankind,” Shah Faesal said.

“Mothers in J&K have been the worst victims of violence during the decades of war and we should salute their resolve and sacrifice on this occasion. The pain of mothers, who lost their loved ones during the ongoing conflict, needs to be particularly acknowleged,” he added.

“It is a tragedy that even in our society which boasts of traditional values, there are abandoned mothers and deserted parents. This is unacceptable and the responsibility is on all of us to inculcate moral values in our children so that the future generation can understand the importance of respecting one’s parents,” the statement added.

Srinagar: All Parties Hurriyat Conference chairman, Syed Ali Geelani expressed his deep grief and sorrow on the unfortunate and immoral incident at Sumbal Bandipora, he termed such incidents as a black stain on our social fabric and rich culture.

While condemning such incidents of heinous crime, Hurriyat chairman flayed the unfortunate role played by the law enforcement institutions in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Bribery and a poor sense of responsibility both in judiciary and police administration has left the galloping crime rate un-tethered, because of the disputed nature of our state.”

He further added that political interference in these law enforcement institutions has infected and ruined the whole system. Recalling the Kuthua rape incident with a nomad minor girl Mr. Geelani said the incident which is has become a forgotten part of history now is a proof in this respect.

He also appealed people of Kashmir to show patience, discipline, unity and brotherhood and provide basic education of Al-Quran and Sunnah, along with the modern education of science and technology to the youngsters.

However, he condemning the police action on a detenue Aaqib Gulzar of Urinhal Bijbihara who missed his examination at police station Islamabad. Mr. Geelani demanded a strong notice by the local and international human rights organizations for violating prisoner rights.

Mr. Geelani also pays tribute to militant Ishfaq Ahmad Sofi of Sopore and Aadil Bashir Wani, Javid Ahmad Bhat who have been killed by the government forces in Shopian.

Srinagar, May 12 : Two persons have been arrested in connection with selling dead chicken in Kupwara district of north Kashmir.

A police officer said that a raid was carried out along with local traders and one person was caught along with the dead birds near Jamia Masjid in main town Kupwara last evening.

The vendor was allegedly selling the dead chicken for rupees 50.

“In this connection today one more person has been arrested and a case under FIR number 77/2019 under section 269 (negligent act like to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous life).

The police officer said that all persons involved in this act would be brought to book.

Meanwhile traders in Kupwara urged all those who have consumed the chicken procured from the vendor to immediately visit medical facility for necessary treatment.

They also appealed government to take stern action against those involved in such a crime. (GNS)