Jammu: The parents of eight-year-old Asifa Bano, who was allegedly ‘raped’ and murdered in Kathua, met the Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti here on Monday.
Asifa Bano had gone missing on January 10 and her body was found on January 17 near her native village Rassana in Hiranagar, Kathua.
The parents sought an expeditious probe into the killing of their daughter and bringing the culprits to justice, an official spokesman said.
“The Chief Minister assured them that the Government has already constituted a Special Investigating Team to probe the case and in the meantime the case has also been handed over to Crime Branch for further investigations,” the official spokesman said.
Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs and Tribal Affairs, Choudhary Zulfkar Ali was present on the occasion.
The local police said that it has arrested one minor, and that he had confessed to having committed the crime.
The arrest came over a week after the girl’s family reported her disappearance to the Hiranagar police, prompting vehement protests by the opposition in the assembly, accusing the police of hushing up the case. They repeatedly demand stern action against those involved in what they insisted that the girl was ‘raped’ and later murdered.
One Station House Officer (SHO) has been placed under suspension following public outcry against the approach of the police.
The police also said that some unscrupulous elements were updating wrong information on social media networks with malicious intent.
