Srinagar: Crimes against women, especially in the rural areas, do not get any coverage in the local media or whenever it gets, it is too little. There have been two shocking incidents of murder of two women, one in Saida Kadal in the outskirts of Srinagar, and another in Kulgam of South Kashmir, but there have been no protests from civil society and dozens of women groups who are otherwise very active on social media in Kashmir.
On the day of wedding, Shahnaza, daughter of late Mohd Qasim Sultan, resident of Sultan Mohalla Saida Kadal Srinagar, was strangled to death by his step brother and two other ladies. This case would have never seen the light of day had the would-be bridegroom Nasir Hussain Kawa, son of Gh Hassan Kawa, resident of Kawpora Shadipora, not approached the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Srinagar, getting directions from the court to the police station of Nigeen to investigate the Shahnaza’s death.
Though people at Shahnaza’s home informed Nasir Hussain that she died of heart attack, he suspected foul play and approached the court for police investigation. Police gave shocking details to the media and said that Shahnaza was murdered by her nephew Wajid Gulzar Sultan and two other ladies of the home in order to get her property and gold ornaments.
Police said that on 3/11/20, they all hatched a conspiracy to eliminate her. As the victim used to wake up for prayers very early in the morning, on the wee hours of 4 November, as she was busy in prayers, Shafi, along with Nighat and Wajid, entered the room and attacked the victim from behind and smothered her till death. Then, they strangled her with a golden coloured piece of cloth to ensure her death. Later on, they tied the cloth with a fan and tied the body to make it look as if she had hanged herself to death.
Police said, “The motive of the murder was that Shafi being the step brother of the victim, was not in good relationship with the victim and used to harass her on one pretext or other. On various instances, he used to torture her. Since their expired father had kept a piece of land for the victim, Shafi’s eye was on that piece of land. The jewellery which was brought by the family for the victim was also in Shafi’s mind. The victim was not happy with the articles, especially jewellery brought by her family, as she had engaged in a verbal duel with the family, especially with Shafi a day before the fateful day. Shafi was fed up with the behaviour of the victim. He also wanted to grab the piece of land and the jewellery. For that purpose, he persuaded Wajid and Nighat to help him in killing her. For that purpose, he promised both of them equal share out of it.”
Another shocking incident happened in Kulgam district of South Kashmir, as a young girl was torched by two young people to outrage her modesty, and she finally succumbed to her injuries in SKIMS.
A 21-year-old woman (name withheld) had gone to her aunt’s home in Akhal village, about 8 km away, to attend a wedding. She never returned, according to the police. Police said that she was abducted, raped and brutalized by two men who have been arrested and are now facing murder charges. The details of the injuries to her have shaken her native village and all the adjacent villages of Kulgam.
“We arrested the culprits within three hours after the incident and we have already processed their case for the courts,” a senior police officer of Kulgam said.
The family of the victim is saying that police have been very slow in investigation and for charge-sheeting them and said that they are prepared to fight the case in court till the culprits are hanged.