A woman died after allegedly being sexually assaulted in Srinagar, with police arresting four people in connection with the case on Monday.
In a statement on X, the Srinagar Police said it has “taken cognisance of a reported incident of sexual assault of a woman… who sustained grievous injuries and was later declared brought dead at the hospital.” Police have filed an FIR in the matter.
Political parties in the Union Territory expressed shock over the “barbaric” assault.
Issuing a “strong condemnation”, the ruling National Conference said in a statement: “This tragic incident is a grim reminder of the growing threat of violence against women. Such acts are an affront to our collective conscience and cannot be allowed to go unpunished.”
Former J&K chief minister and PDP chief Mehbooab Mufti expressed shock over the alleged rape and killing of the tribal woman. “Reports suggest she suffered brutal injuries and succumbed en route to the hospital. The police have arrested the accused, who were reportedly intoxicated during the crime. Substance abuse, particularly alcohol and drugs, is devastating our youth and fuelling horrific crimes like rape and murder. This tragedy reflects a broader societal crisis,” she said.
Terming the incident “barbaric”, People’s Conference president Sajad Lone called for stringent punishment and a fast- track trial for the accused.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Kashmir’s head cleric, also termed the incident shocking and said it reflected the “moral depravity being increasingly witnessed in our society, driven by exposure to obscenity on the net, the scourge of alcohol and drug addiction, corruption and greed and loss of a moral sense among sections of people.”
Srinagar SSP G V Sundeep Chakravarthy declined to comment on the incident or the arrests.
