Owais Gull
Srinagar: The protests against the rape of a minor girl in Sumbal area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district continued for the second consecutive day on Monday with people assembling at Srinagar’s Press Enclave, demanding stringent punishment to the culprit.
Members of Jammu and Kashmir Itehaadul Muslimeen headed by Moulana Masroor Abbas Ansari assembled at Srinagar’s press enclave here and staged protest against the incident.
The protesters were holding placards and chanted slogans seeking justice for the minor.
Talking to reporters here, Moulana Masroor Abbas Ansari said that the government always comes up with assurances but later fail to ensure justice to the victim. “Several such cases like Kunan Poshpora, Uri and others are still pending as the government has failed to ensure justice to the victim,” he said.
The culprits in the heinous crime should be dealt with strictly so that it serves as a deterrent to others, he said.
The students from different colleges also staged a protest outside Press enclave in this afternoon, demanding capital punishment to the culprit.
The students were holding placards reading ‘hang the rapists’ and raised slogans in favour of justice to the minor girl. They said that such heinous acts create fear among the girls. “We demand that the rapists be hanged till death so that no one could dare to indulge in such kind of crimes in future,” the students said.
The members of JK Youth Alliances (JKYA) also marched towards Raj Bhawan here to submit a memorandum, demanding time bound investigation and exemplary punishment to rapists as per Islamic law.
The protest march was however intercepted by police near Lalit hotel. The memorandum was later handed over to the Rajbawan officials.
The residents of Mandir bagh here also staged a protest against the incident. They also marched from Mandir Bagh to Press enclave here, carrying black flags to express sympathy with the victim and his family.
The protesters mostly women were raising slogans in favour of justice to the girl and demanded stringent action against the guilty.