[Marxistindia] On Shopian Incident in Jammu & Kashmir

[news from the cpi(m)]

                                                           June 21, 2009


Press Statement


The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), now in
session at New Delhi, has issued the following statement:


                 On Shopian Incident in Jammu & Kashmir


The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
expresses its condemnation of the ghastly incident of rape and murder of
two young women in Shopian, Kashmir that occurred on May 29, 2009. The
initial efforts of the local administration to cover-up the truth and to
pass it off as an incident of drowning is extremely reprehensible. Now
autopsy reports by the Forensic Science Laboratory have confirmed that
rape had occurred and even gang-rape cannot be ruled out.


It is most unfortunate that this horrific incident took place soon after
the Lok Sabha elections at a time when hopes had been raised that some
semblance of normalcy was returning to the state and when very large
numbers of tourists from all over the country had started visiting the
Valley.


The Shopian incident has aroused very strong protests all over the state
and the Central Committee is extremely critical of the strong arm
methods adopted by some sections of the administration to deal with the
protestors. The Central Committee feels that the situation should have
been dealt with much more sympathetically and hopes that the Commission
of Enquiry ordered by the state government will submit its report
immediately and that the most stringent punishment will be meted out to
the guilty.


The Central Committee urges the Jammu & Kashmir government to talk to
the local people and assure them of its determination to ensure speedy
and just action so that peace is restored at the earliest.