One year on, fear and agony without end for family of 'Kathua victim'

The headlines may have faded away but the fear is constant the grief seemingly without end says the family of an eightyearold girl whose body was found in a jungle in Jammu and Kashmirs Kathua district on this day a year agoThe case of the child from a minority nomadic community who was allegedly abducted while she was grazing horses and kept in captivity in a temple where she was gangraped before being bludgeoned to death is nearing its final stages in a court in Pathankot in Punjab officials said on ThursdayEight people including the custodian of the village temple in Kathua and two policemen have been arrested for their alleged role in the crime that stunned the country with its brutality and polarised society along communal linesWhile the law takes its course and the world moves on after the initial shock for the family the trauma continues casting long shadows over their everyday livesWe are still in shock said her father in a phone interview with PTIThe family which migrates to the higher reaches of Kashmir during the summer months have returned to their village but normalcy is still a far cryThere is constant fear and I do not send my children outside They remain confined inside the house How can I send my other children after what happened he askedHe said their anxious wait for a judgement continuesWe lost our girl but I hope no parent has to undergo this kind of pain ever he saidThe case went through several twists and turns including efforts by the district police to cover up for the main accused till the Crime Branch stepped in and came out with a charge sheet giving details of events leading to the horrific crimeAccording to officials the prosecution has closed its evidence at the sessions court at Pathankot which is hearing the case on the direction of the Supreme CourtThe case is at the stage of charges being read out to the accused before the defence makes its final submission in the case of a child who came to be known simply as the Kathua gangrapemurder victimThe apex court shifted the case to Pathankot in May last year after the state as well as some lawyers approached it with a plea that they did not expect a fair trial in KathuaThe Crime Branch arrested eight people temple custodian and main accused Sanji Ram his son Vishal special police officers Deepak Khajuria alias Deepu and Surinder Verma Parvesh Kumar alias Mannu head constable Tilak Raj and subinspector Arvind DattaSanji Rams nephew a juvenile was also arrested His trial is yet to begin as police are contesting his claim of being below the age of 18The Pathankot court framed charges under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code applicable in Jammu and Kashmir including 120B criminal conspiracy 302 murder 376D gang rape and 328 causing hurt by poisoning with an intent to hurtThe two policemen were also charged under Section 161 public servant taking illegal gratification of the RPCAccording to the charge sheet the child was abducted on January 10 killed on January 14 and her body recovered on January 17Sanji Ram is alleged to have hatched the conspiracy with other accused as a carefully planned strategy to remove the minority nomadic community from the area According to the charge sheet she was kept sedated in the small devisthan and repeatedly sexually assaulted before she was bludgeoned to deathOn January 23 about a week after the body was discovered the government handed the case to the Crime Branch which formed a Special Investigation TeamSanji Ram surrendered on March 20 after his son was arrested from Uttar Pradesh a day earlierInvestigations revealed that Sanji Ram gave Rs 4 lakh to the police officers probing the case in three instalmentsThe charge sheet explained in detail how the accused police officials destroyed crucial evidence by washing the clothes of the victim before sending them to the forensic laboratory and created false evidence at the sceneA supplementary charge sheet listed in chilling detail the cocktail of sedatives including cannabis forcefully given to the childShe was given mannar local cannabis as well as Epitril 05 mg on an empty stomach it saidShe was forcefully administered five tablets of Clonazepam of 05 mg each on January 11 2018 which is higher than the safe therapeutic dose Subsequently more tablets were givenThe signs and symptoms of an overdose may include drowsiness confusion impaired coordination slow reflexes slowed or stopped breathing coma loss of consciousness and deathiquest according to the medical experts report submitted along with the charge sheetIt said the tablets could have pushed her into a state of shock or comaCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday 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