Handwara molestation: Victim makes u-turn, says cops harassed her

In a major twist in the Handwara molestation case, a girl whose complaint of molestation led to protests and firing in the region, said on Monday that she had been forced to record a false statement while in custody and had also been abused.

"They (policemen) spoke to me nicely so I narrated the whole incident to them. After which they told me not to tell the real story to anyone. And added that if I divulged anything, then my family and me might land in trouble. They threatened our lives. I told them that to lie is wrong and I won't lie. There and then, one of the three policemen got up and slapped me and forced me to lie. I retaliated for a while and then I succumbed to their pressure and changed my statement," said the victim.

"The police misbehaved with me, nobody came forward to help. While I was sitting at the police station, several policemen abused me and went away. After a long time, a woman police constable took me to a room and left after a while. The three policemen came into the room with their faces covered," she added.

Handwara witnessed massive clashes between the police and locals on April 12 after the news of a girl being molested by an army soldier spread. The area was under curfew for a week.

Five people were killed in firing by security forces during the protests. But in a controversial video shot inside a police station, the girl had denied the molestation allegation. The girl has now changed her statement saying she was under pressure.