Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visits 12-yr-old Budgam victim's family, assures strict action

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday visited the residence of the 12-year-old girl who had been allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered in Budgam district of central Kashmir.

Abdullah expressed grief over the incident and prayed for the strength and patience for the bereaved family, which continued to protest demanding death penalty for the accused.

The chief minister said the incident had shaken the conscience of society and asserted that such elements had no place in civilised society. He assured that the culprits would be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law.


The police have arrested the accused, identified as Mudasir Ahmad Mir, who they said had acted alone. The case has been registered under section 137 (1), 103 of BNS and 5/6 of POCSO Act. J&K Police appealed to the public to maintain peace, communal harmony and public order, and to cooperate with the investigating agencies. It urged the people not to take the law into their own hands and not to circulate rumours, speculative content or unverified allegations regarding the case.

The victim was found murdered in the Galwanpora area of Budgam district on Sunday, a day after she was reported missing when she was on way to attend Quran classes at a local seminary. The incident triggered widespread condemnation from across the political, religious and social spectrum.

Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who heads Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema, a grouping of about 50 religious organisations across J&K and Ladakh, said that he was placed under house arrest early Tuesday morning after being denied permission to visit Budgam to offer condolences and share the grief of the bereaved family. “It is strange that even a basic humanitarian gesture of expressing sympathy and condolence with the bereaved threatens the rulers and their narrative of peace and normalcy,” he said.

People’s Democratic Party MLA from Budgam Aga Muntazir Mehdi, who is a lawyer and visited the family, said he will extend every possible legal assistance to the victim’s family to ensure justice is delivered. “This heinous crime demands a swift, transparent and time-bound investigation. Those responsible must face the strictest punishment under law. I urge people to stand united with the grieving family and ensure no guilty person escapes accountability,” he said.