Avtar Bhat
KATHUA, Feb 27: Following the atrocities by Crime Branch of Police and threat posed by some unscrupulous elements, 15 families migrated from Rassana village in Hiranagar tehsil of Kathua district today and took refuge under a Peepal tree near Government Higher Secondary School, Koota by violating Section 144 CrPC imposed by district administration some days back in the area.
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The migrants included terror stricken men, women and school going children who left along with their bag and baggage to take refuge at a safer place as they faced the atrocities at the hands of the CB over the rape and murder of a minor Gujjar girl whose body was found in the Rassana forests on January 17.
The migrants while narrating their horrible tail said that they feel threatened in the village following the murder of the girl and harassment caused to the villagers by the CB and other people.
The Hindu Ekta Manch (HEM) a conglomerate of various parties which has been demanding a CBI probe into the murder of minor girl with the support of local people of Koota arranged shelter of the migrants at Koota and urged the authorities to take proper steps in restoring confidence of these hapless people in the administration.
These migrants said that they received threats from the unscrupulous elements daily and police was also harassing the male members including the youth and children.
They said fed up with the atrocities of CB they were forced to leave their homes and hearths to seek justice as the present Government especially the BJP Ministers have totally ditched them.
A minor girl studying in Class 12th said that the examinations of 10th and 12th classes are going on but an innocent youth Parvesh Kumar has been detained by the Crime Branch. The youth is still in CB custody and he is unable to attend the examination, she added.
Besides, more youth are being harassed and tortured by the CB, she said, adding how other youth can concentrate on examination when they are harassed by police every now and then.
Ex-Sarpanch Kant Kumar alleged that people have been terrorized in the village on the name of investigation by the administration and the villagers are being tortured under the pressure of some influential people.
He said that till date eight people including two juveniles and an SPO have been detained by Crime Branch, Jammu. Another youth Manu reading in class 11th has been also detained by CB on February 24 and after torture he was released late night on that day but again arrested yesterday, he said, adding how long people will tolerate this torture unnecessarily.
Demanding CBI probe for fair investigation, he said they too want that the rapist and the murderer be punished but on the name of fair probe entire village and innocent people can’t be tortured.
“It is unfortunate that this has happened when BJP is in Government and its leaders have failed to provide justice to us” said a village woman.
This has not happened in the history so far that people of entire village are forced to migrate following excesses by the police, she added.
President Hindu Ekta Manch, advocate Vijay Sharma told Excelsior that no one in the administration bothered to meet these hapless people and talk to them.
He said the MLA Hiranagar, Kuldeep Raj met them at Koota this evening and talked to district administration and Divisional Commissioner, Jammu. “But it is unfortunate that Divisional Commissioner said that he is unaware about it. This is height of things that entire village has migrated and administration is unaware.”
Sharma said that not only in Rassana the people are being harassed by CB but in the adjoining village Dhanyal the members of Gujjar community are forced to give wrong statements to implicate some people of Rassana. He said what kind of Government it is.
He said people have their resentment against the Government of which BJP is also a part and parcel and is squarely responsible for the plight of the Rassana villagers and their migration.
He said all political parties including BJP, Yuva Morcha, NC and Congress are part of Ekta Manch to seek justice for the people of Rassana.
“We want that the minor girl and her family be given justice and CBI probe be ordered. It is not an issue of Hindus or Muslims as the Gujjar girl was also our daughter and we are pained for the heinous crime, but this does not mean that investigators will harass the innocent people”, he added.
He said people will continue struggle in a peaceful way till the real culprits are brought to book and will not allow police to harm the innocents.
Kuldeep Raj, MLA Hiranagar said that the migration had taken place from Rassana as people are scared due to threat perception and they demand CBI probe into the murder and rape of minor Gujjar girl.
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