The political storm triggered by gruesome rape and murder of 8-year-old nomadic girl took a new turn as BJP’s two embattled Ministers tendered resignation before the party and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti assured fast-tracking judicial process to bring the perpetrators of the crime to justice.

Sources said Mehbooba has requested the Chief Justice of J&K High Court for establishment of Special Fast Track Court (SFTC) for speedy justice in the case. The SPTC will complete the trial in 90 days.

On Saturday, BJP’s national general secretary Ram Madhav said resignations of the two BJP Cabinet Ministers (Chowdhary Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga) would be handed over to the CM for further action.

In turn, Mehbooba lauded the country’s political leadership, the judiciary, the media and the civil society for standing with the J&K Government to ensure justice in Kathua case. Mehbooba said the unflinching resolve for ensuring justice in this heinous crime would go a long way in restoring people’s confidence in the institutions and reinforcing the sense of justice in the State.

Addressing ruling PDP legislators and senior leaders here Mehbooba said the entire country came out seeking justice for the innocent girl and this has generated a new hope among the people in Jammu & Kashmir which needs to be built on to recreate an inclusive India.

“Intolerance and hate are hitting at the country’s core values and posing great threat to the pluralism, the only option for achieving the goals India has set out,” she said and added that India comprises a composite culture and no one has domination in it. “We have to keep this civilisation alive. If we get derailed, then we can’t achieve what we have set out,” she was quoted as saying by a party spokesman.

She said it was duty of the political class of the country to take note of a great tragedy that has unfolded in Jammu & Kashmir. “There is no scope for delaying any further a meaningful and bold response to what has now developed into a moral, political and humanitarian challenge for this billion plus nation,” she said and added that more we delay the resolution the more it gets complex and painful.

In Jammu, Ram Madhav said there was no threat to the PDP-BJP coalition as both the parties were working in coordination. He also defended both the party Ministers who had visited Rasana village in the first week of March to ‘cool down the tempers’ of agitated local residents.

Madhav clarified it was incorrect to say that the party members tried influencing the investigation in the gangrape and murder of the eight-year-old minor girl.

Addressing a Press conference at the residence of Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, Madhav said the two BJP Ministers tendered their resignation in view of a perception being created.

He said the State BJP chief will forward the resignations of the two Ministers to Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for further action.

He also lashed out at the Congress, alleging that it was trying to politicise the issue which should not be done.

“We, including the BJP which is in the Government, will ensure justice for the girl and punishment for the culprits,” he said.

Asked about the demand for a CBI probe into the incident, the BJP leader said, “The police has completed the probe and now it is in the court of law. It is for the court to decide.”

Madhav admitted the fact that there may have been some indiscretion on their part, but now all of us will try to bring things back to normal.”

The senior BJP leader said the resignation of the Ministers was to address the fears of not only its ally PDP and the people of Jammu & Kashmir but also the entire nation.

In her address to legislators, Mehbooba said while the ultimate solution to the momentous challenges confronting Jammu & Kashmir shall have to be worked out both on internal and external fronts through a sustained process of engagement, what is needed urgently in Kashmir is that elements of sanity, common sense and pragmatism shall have to be picked up in light of the global and sub-continental realities and make use of political and democratic means to voice our concerns.

She said time has come to again start on the road to resolution and the process shall have to be clear of conditions. “It will have to accommodate those voices also that don’t accept the status quo. It will have to steer clear of past mistakes. It will have to come over suspicions and mistrust. It will have to be today, for tomorrow may be too late,” she said.

Speaking to reporters after the party’s meeting, Works Minister and senior PDP leader Naeem Ahkar “appreciated” the support of alliance partner BJP in the gangrape-and-murder case.

“We appreciate our alliance partner who helped us in this case…they made the two Ministers resign. I see that as a confidence building measure. And if the PDP and the BJP continue to resolve their issues like this, I see there is no substitute to this alliance,” he said.

Courtesy: The Pioneer, Sunday, 15 April 2018 | Khursheed Wani/Mohit Kandhari | Srinagar/ Jammu