Srinagar: The Army on Friday ordered an
internal probe into allegations that its soldiers had abducted
and raped a woman in Kulgam district, even as Chief Minister
Omar Abdullah promised strict action against the guilty.
The medical examination of the 32-year-old woman, who
accused army personnel of abducting and raping her sparking
protests in the area, has revealed no marks of torture or
violence on her body, according to highly placed sources.
They said the swabs taken from the woman have been
sent for forensic laboratory in Srinagar. "If any foreign
bodies are found in the swabs, the same will be subjected to
DNA testing for ascertaining the identity of the bearer."
General Officer Commanding of the Army`s 15 Corps Lt
General S A Hasnain said an internal probe has been launched
into the case and strict action will be taken against the
guilty but cautioned that the allegations may have been
levelled to "defame the force" and disturb the peace.
"If there is any truth in the allegation, then it is a
criminal act against which strict action must be taken. Army
is cooperating in the police investigation and we have
launched a separate investigation of our own," Hasnain told
reporters here.
The woman from Gujjarpatti Manzpora in south Kashmir`s
Kulgam, 80 kms from here, yesterday lodged a police complaint
accusing unidentified army personnel of abducting her on July
19 and gangraping her before being left off on July 21.
The chief minister said an identification parade of
soldiers from the army unit stationed there could be held.
"Size of army unit in area less than 20 strong so
identification parade won`t be a problem. Guilty won`t be
spared either AFSPA or no AFSPA," Omar said on micro-blogging
website Twitter.
PTI
