India Outrage Spreads Over Rape of Eight-Year-Old Girl
The brutal gang rape and murder of an eight-year old girl has sparked outrage and anger across India.
The body of Asifa Bano, who belonged to a Muslim nomadic tribe, was found in a forest on January 17 near Kathua city of Indian-administered Kashmir.
The story made headlines this week when Hindu right-wing groups protested over the arrest of eight Hindu men.
The case has become a religious flashpoint in an already polarised Indian region.
The men the Police have arrested include a retired government official, four Police officers and a minor – all of them belong to a local Hindu community that has been involved in a land dispute with the Muslim nomads. Outrage grew after two ministers from the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attended a rally in support of the accused men. Anger not only over the grisly murder but also the support for the accused quickly gathered momentum on Twitter with the hashtags #Kathua and #justiceforAsifa trending since Thursday. Some people on Twitter have also compared Asifa’s death with the brutal gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in Delhi, which led to huge protests and changes in India’s rape laws.
The crime took place in one of India’s most restive regions. Since 1989, there has been an armed revolt in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley against Indian rule – the valley is adjacent to Hindumajority Jammu.