Omar questions Modi's silence on Kathua rape

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua district.

"Hon PM Sir, there isn't a day when we don't hear you speak about things that are important to you yet there are times when you are completely silent about things that are important to others. Please don't let Asifa be someone you choose to remain silent about," he tweeted.

Abdullah's comment comes after two PDP-BJP coalition ministers -- Chander Prakash Ganga and Choudhary Lal Singh -- attended a Hindu Ekta Manch rally in Kathua that sought the transfer of the investigation from the state police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Pressure is mounting on Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to drop the two ministers from her cabinet.

Mehbooba has convened a meeting of PDP legislators and senior leaders in Srinagar on Saturday to discuss the Kathua case as well the present security situation in the Kashmir Valley.

The victim's body was recovered from Rassana forest in Kathua on January 17, a week after she went missing while grazing horses in a forest area.

She was reportedly held captive inside a temple and sedated before being repeatedly raped and murdered.

--IANS

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