SRINAGAR: On the third anniversary of the brutal rape and murder of a minor girl in Jammu and Kashmir, her family says that “only half justice” has been delivered to them and “full justice will be delivered when all the seven convicts and one accused who has been released by the trial court are awarded death penalty”.

The Pathankot Sessions Court in June 2019 sentenced Sanji Ram, the main accused, to life in prison. It also ordered the dismissal of Special Police Officer (SPO) Deepak Khajuria and Parvesh Kumar and sentenced three other policemen for five years and a fine of  Rs 50,000.  

Vishal Jangotra, the son of Sanji Ram, was acquitted after given the benefit of doubt. The eighth accused is a minor and was tried by a juvenile court.

The girl’s father said they had been demanding that all the convicts should be hanged so that the punishment acts as a deterrent and prevents the occurrence of such heinous crimes in any part of the country. The family has challenged the Pathankot Session Court’s verdict in Punjab and Haryana High Court. 

Their lawyer says the final hearing of the case would be held soon during which arguments would take place. On January 10, 2018, an eight-year-old minor girl was abducted from Rasana village in the Kathua district of J&K while she was grazing horses.

A week later, her body was found near a family temple in the village with marks of torture and burn.

The Crime Branch, which investigated the case, found that the minor girl was abducted and kept in the temple, where she was drugged and repeatedly raped before being killed. The Crime Branch produced a charge sheet against the eight accused. 

​The girl’s adopted father Mohammad Yousuf said, “It is unacceptable for us.We will only be satisfied when all the eight accused are awarded the death sentence for committing this heinous crime”.