The Uri shame and shock

The rape and murder of a 9-year old girl in Uri is not a usual crime. It is a horror story beyond belief. That a step-mother would plan and execute the rape and murder of the little girl is unimaginable. The jealousy of step-mothers towards their step-children is a normal thing but treading beyond the normal path and crossing over to crime field is quite rare. The woman, chief architect of the crime, needs to be studied and analysed psychologically for having gone such an inhuman and bestial way. She got the victim raped by her son—who in every sense of term is the victim’s brother—and four others before strangulating her to death is brutish and boorish beyond definition. According to police, the woman was jealous of her husband’s second wife (who is a non-local) and her children as she had the perception that her husband was more inclined and affectionate towards her 2nd wife and the children born of her, more particularly the daughter (victim). She hence hatched a conspiracy to eliminate her step daughter. Armed with a sharp-edged knife, the woman, on the fateful day, took her step daughter to the nearby jungle. While she was on way to forests with her step daughter she signalled her son Sahil (step brother of deceased from the same father) aged about 14 years to be ready for commission of the crime. Sahil later on joined her mother in forest area along with two of his friends namely Kaiser Ahmad aged 19 years son of Sikander Mir and Aadil Ahmad aged 14 years son of Bashir Ahmad both residents of Trikanjan Boniyar. One more accused Naseer Ahmad Khan @ Guddo aged 28 years son of Sher Zaman Khan of Lari, Trikanjan also joined in the commission of crime. On reaching the spot, the girl was gang raped by the accused in presence and at the instance of her step mother. It was Kaiser who first raped her and then all others including Sahil her step brother took turns to rape the girl.
Thereafter the woman strangulated the girl and Sahil hit her head with axe, killing her on spot. After that one of the accused Adil went back his home and brought acid from there in a Plastic bottle. Adil’s house stores the acid for maintenance of the battery of TATA Sumo vehicle possessed by them. While the woman strangulated her, Sahil hit her head with Axe and Kaiser gouged out her eyes with a sharp knife and then acid was sprinkled on her body parts. Physical condition and preliminary forensic analysis of dead body substantiated all these facts. Finally they dumped the body in the bushes and covered it with twigs and branches of pine trees. It is just like staging the Kathua rape and murder case with a different locale, characters and design but with the same intensity and inhumanity. In Kathua case it was communal hatred that made the perpetrators to commit the crime. In Uri, it is the blood rivalry that drives the woman on criminal course. She herself is a woman and mother, and still committing such a heinous crime speaks of her heartlessness. It is not a crime by accident. It is a crime planned for days and executed with a design. Police has done a laudable job for reaching to the bottom of the case in a short span of time, and arresting the perpetrators of the crime. They need to make it a strong case for stringent punishment to the culprits in accordance with the law.
But at the same time it is a serious reflection on our falling societal values. Though it is an isolated case and cannot be generalized but it is indicator of moral degradation of our society.