Parents of Kathua rape-murder victim urge for justice, say `feel the need for security`

SRINAGAR: Soon after the Supreme Court directed the Jammu and Kashmir government to provide security to the family of the eight-year-old girl who was gangraped and murdered in J&K's Kathua, her parents urged for justice. "We want justice, the culprits should be hanged."

Claiming threat to their lives, the father of the victim told ANI, "We feel the need for having security as anything can happen."

While the father asserted threats to their lives, the mother of the eight-year-old girl urged justice for her daughter. "We just want justice for my daughter," she said.

While the father asserted threats to their lives, the mother of the eight-year-old girl urged justice for her daughter. "We just want justice for my daughter," she said.

Earlier on Monday, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Mehbooba Mufti government seeking a reply on the gangrape and murder of an eight-year-old girl. The top court directed the Jammu and Kashmir government to give police protection to the victim's family and their counsel Deepika S Rajawat.

This had come shortly after the father of the girl moved the apex Court seeking safety and security. He had also demanded that the case, which has led to a country-wide uproar, be shifted to a court outside Jammu and Kashmir.

Approaching the apex court, the father of the eight-year-old girl demanded in his plea that the case should be transferred to Chandigarh, claiming that the trial might get influenced in Jammu. The victim's father further demanded that the trial must be put on hold unless the case is transferred out of Jammu.

The plea further says that politicians must be stopped from meeting the juvenile accused in the case and that the status report of the case should be submitted before the Supreme Court as the case proceeds.

The next hearing in the trial case which had begun on Monday has been scheduled for April 28.

The victim's father had moved the Supreme Court after his lawyer, Deepika Singh Rajawat, claimed threat to her life. She claimed that she feared getting raped or killed following threats.

An eight-year-old girl belonging to the nomadic community had gone missing on January 10 while grazing horses in Rasana forest in Kathua's Hiranagar area. Her body was found a week later. Police investigations revealed she was held captive inside a temple, sedated and repeatedly raped before her murder.