CBI files Shopian report; rules out rape, murder

Srinagar: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has submitted the probe report on the Shopian murder case in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Monday.

The report says both women, Nilofar Jan, 22, and her 17-year-old sister-in-law Asiya Jan who were found dead on May 30, died due to drowning as opposed to the allegations that the two were raped and then murdered by the security forces deployed in Kashmir.

The CBI has filed a chargesheet against 13 people including six doctors, five lawyers and two civilians.

They've been charged for fabricating evidence and intimidating witnesses.

However the victims’ families have disassociated themselves from the enquiry.

They allege that the investigative agency has not conducted an impartial probe and that the doctors who conducted the postmortem on the bodies were under qualified.

Meanwhile, The lawyer for CBI maintained that the death was caused by drowning and a chargesheet has been filed in the court.

Shakeel Ahanger, husband of the victim Nilofar, said he will continue his fight for justice.

“We don't believe on the findings of CBI. They are all framed. I don't trust them.

I'll show the government of India that it has not just raped Shakeel's sister and wife, instead it has raped women of entire Kashmir. I will continue my agitation. I will show CBI that it has wronged entire Kashmir.”

Urging the people not to react aggressively to the CBI report, PDP leader Muzaffar Baig said, “Kashmir Bar association withdrew when CBI took up the issue. We will not incite people to go to the streets. We expect the High court to find the truth. I am skeptical about the whole thing. People have lost faith in the political process. We will make an attempt to bring them on table and talk. This kind of functioning of CBI leads to violence and militancy.”

The incident had triggered massive protests in Shopian where a 47-hour shutdown had also been observed.

Sources said that earlier during the exhumation of the two bodies from the grave by the CBI, a team of doctors from All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) had claimed during post-mortem that one of the victim, Asiya, was never raped.

The CBI had taken over the investigation in September.