Mohamed Ameen Dabhelia – 2018/04/17

The fast-tracked trial of eight men accused in the brutal gang rape and murder of an eight-year-old Muslim girl began in India, as outrage over sexual crimes spread yet again across the country.

The body of Asifa Bano was found in Kathua on the 17th of January.

Police investigations found that the young girl was kidnapped, starved, drugged, and raped repeatedly inside a Hindu temple.

Police claim the attack was planned and carried out to try to drive the Bakarwal Muslim nomadic community out of the area.

Author and activist Essar Batool told Radio Islam that the right wing Hindu groups in Jammu have been totally against the settling of the Bakarwal Muslim community.

“This is believed to be one of the motives behind the kidnapping and rape of Asifa, they have also been killing the Rohingya who are settling in Jammu, and so these two groups are inflicted.”

Batool says the culprits tried to put the blame on a juvenile, so that they could cover the case up.

“They tried to shift the entire case on to the nephew of one of the accused, Sanji Ram, the neohew is a juvenile and because they can’t be trialed under laws in the country, this would’ve seen the accused avoid justice.”

Prime Minister Modi’s party, the BJP, is facing the brunt of the public anger.

Many believe the party has tried to shield the suspects from prosecution in the case.