Kashmir has broken into protests over the rape of a 3-year-old girl in Sambal, Bandipora district. The horrifying incident reportedly took place on May 9 when the girl was lured and abducted by a neighbour and raped in a local school bathroom. People have taken to the streets in demand of death penalty to the accused.
The protests have escalated to the extent that it has caught the attention of several international publications.
A BBC report said:
Huge protests have continued for the third day in Indian-administered Kashmir with people demanding the death penalty for a man who allegedly raped a three-year-old girl.
The protests soon turned into clashes with the government and several were injured in multiple towns in the state.
According to an Al Jazeera report:
At least a dozen people, including government forces personnel, were injured when tear gas and pellet shotguns were fired to quell the protests in many towns.
The family of the accused claim he is supposedly a minor. However, protestors are demanding he receives the most stringent punishment owing to this heinous crime.
Al Jazeera writes,
Police said the girl was hospitalised in critical condition on May 8 but her condition has stabilised. Protests erupted on Sunday and spread to new areas on Monday after the suspect’s family produced a school-issued birth certificate giving his age as 13.
Thousands have joined the protests across the valley, taking to the streets and battling riot police.
A Daily Mail report said,
Dozens of people were injured in the Himalayan province as government forces fired tear gas and pellet guns to quell the protests. Schools and shops across the Kashmir Valley shut spontaneously thousands of people joined the demonstrations to demand that the alleged culprit be executed.
The 3-year-old survivor was hospitalised and in critical condition after the deplorable crime. She is currently stable but in trauma.
A Washington Post report stated:
Top local administrator Baseer Khan said on Monday that police arrested the suspect in a village in Sumbal town and a fast-track inquiry is underway.
The girl’s father spoke to BBC and said,
She was screaming for her mother. We rushed to the school and found her bleeding in the bathroom. The accused had tried to flee, but we caught him. We want justice and stringent punishment.
Condemned by local and international media alike, the incident is beyond fathomable.
Currently in police custody, we hope the accused is put to justice.