Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, May 16: Handwara teenage girl whose alleged molestation sparked off widespread violence last month and led to the killing of five persons today retracted from her early statement made before Chief Judicial Magistrate and accused police of forcing her to make “false statements”.
The girl, who for the first time appeared before media here at the office of Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), alleged that on April 12, an army man grabbed her hand when she was coming out of a public toilet at Handwara Town.
“I screamed and ran away from the spot. Three boys one of whom is my neighbour arrived at the spot and enquired from me about the incident. One of them also slapped me. But I was crying and I told them that I want to go to my home,” she said, adding that shortly a large crowd gathered. She said some cops also rushed to the spot and dragged” her to police station.
The girl alleged that at police station she was abused, humiliated and forced to make false statement. “I was told by three policemen to blame local boys instead of army man,” she alleged. The girl said she divulged the details of incident sans army man’s alleged role before SP Handwara, Ghulam Jeelani.
“He (SP) told me that he wanted to record my statement on his mobile phone. He promised not to make it public,” she said and claimed that she made the statement, without mentioning army man’s role, under pressure before the camera but “it was later made viral in order to save army man”.
The girl also alleged that she was made to signature blank papers and was told to write that she is in police protection instead of custody. “I wasn’t aware what they were telling me to write… this was going on for whole night,” she said.
Referring to her early statement made before CJM wherein she absolved the army man of all allegations and instead blamed local boys, the girl said “it was not her voluntary statement”. “I was forced by police to make false statement…I was alone and even my father wasn’t allowed to accompany me,” she said.
The girl has sought registration of an FIR against those cops and others who made her video viral without her consent and also against “keeping her in wrongful and hostile detention”. Accusing the soldier of sexual assault, she has demanded registered of a case against him as well.
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