Shopian Tragedy Continues To Instill Fear Among Young Girls

In occupied Kashmir, an unknown fear continues to haunt the women, particularly young girls, of Shopian town since the incident of rape and murder of two young women, Aasiya and Neelofar, by Indian men in uniform in May 2009.

According to media sources, the locals while talking to media said that they were waiting for justice in the double rape and murder tragedy as the perpetrators of the crime were roaming freely. “We fear to go outside alone as same tragedy may happen with us,” said Iqba Shafi, a teenage girl perusing her studies at Degree College Shopian.

Another girl, Jasiya Ishaq said that the parents of the area were apprehensive on the safety of young girls. “Our parents are more cautious about our whereabouts and would call us even when we are just a fraction of minute late from our college or orchards. Their cautiousness has only gone up after the rape and murder of our sisters by men in uniform,” she added.

Locals from the main town asked as to how the authorities claimed to have resolved the murder case of a recently killed Army Lieutenant Umar Fayaz and identified the killers immediately but even after 8 years of the Shopian tragedy the culprits of Aasiya and Neelofar were not identified or arrested.

They said that the puppet Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, while in opposition would come and mourn with the people of Shopian. “Why she is not investigating the incident now and bringing the culprits to justice,” a local resident complained.

It is to mention here that Aasiya and Neelofar were abducted by Indian men in uniform on the evening of May 29 in 2009 and later raped and killed in custody. Their bodies were recovered from a shallow stream in the town on the next morning.