Srinagar: A court in Jammu and Kashmir`s Kupwara district on Tuesday directed police to reinvestigate the 22-year-old Kunan Poshpora mass rape case for unravelling the identity of perpetrators.
Dismissing conclusions made by police in their closure report in the case, Judicial Magistrate JA Geelani directed them to carry out further investigations to unravel identity of the perpetrators.
On the intervening night of February 23-24, 1991, troops of an army unit allegedly gang-raped dozens of women in Kunan and Poshpora villages in Kupwara district.
Observing it lacked the authority to order setting up of a special investigation team, the court said further probe should be conducted by an officer not below the rank of an SSP and within a time-bound period of three months.
Advocate Parvez Imroz, counsel for the victims, had filed a protest petition on June 10 against the closure report of the police.
The petition contended the police investigations were incomplete and mala fide as despite having information on file regarding involvement of 125 personnel of the 4th Rajputana Rifles, the police had not questioned them.
"Till date the investigating agency has not unveiled the identity of the culprits despite having a clear cut nominal role of 125 suspects," the Magistrate said.
PTI
