CHANDIGARH: The special CBI court on Wednesday held five persons, inculding a former DSP and a former DIG BSF, guilty for rape in the 2006 Jammu and Kashmir sex scandal. The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on June 4, 2018.
Those who have been held guilty are Mohammad Ashraf Mir (Ex-DSP), KC Padhi (Ex-DIG BSF), Shabbir Ahmad Laway, Shabbir Ahmad Langoo, and Masood Ahmad. However, businessman Mehraj-ud-Din Malik and then Advocate General of Jammu and Kashmir Anil Sethi were acquitted by court.
The Case
The 12-year-old case pertains to the involvement of top police officials, bureaucrats, politicians and even surrendered militants in expolitation of minor victims. The minors who were forced into prostitution were paid between Rs 250 to Rs 500.
According to the chargesheet, there were four surviors and nine accused in the case. During the course of the trial, prime accused Sabeena and her husband Abdul Hamid Bulla died. They allegdely use to run brothel in Srinagar's Habba Kadal.
The Code of Conduct
Keeping in view sensitive nature of the case as well as involvement of minors, the entire trial was kept in-camera and code words were used by the CBI so that the identity of the complainants and witnesses was not compromised at any cost. Three survivors turned hostile during the course of the trial and the fourth one was kept in CBI protective custody.
The Trial
The 2006 scandal had hit headlines after the J&K police discovered two video CDs showing Kashmiri minors being sexually exploited. The police questioned the minors, including the alleged kingpin, Sabeena. After questioning them, the police gathered names of 56 people allegedly involved in the scandal.
The case was transferred to the CBI in May 2006 after names of two J&K ministers, MLAs and other influential men emerged in the case. The Supreme Court shifted the trial to Chandigarh in the same year. Interestingly, name of then J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah had also surfaced in the case, which led to him tendering his resignation in July 2009. However, the J&K governor had eventually rejected his resignation.