STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Barely hours after he took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister, Kavinder Gupta triggered a controversy on Monday by terming the Kathua rape and murder case, which had led to nation-wide outrage, as a “small” happening that was hyped.
It (Kathua rape and murder) was a small thing. We have to think over it so that such incidents are not repeated,” Gupta told reporters here.
He was replying to questions on whether the ruling coalition was under pressure in the Kathua rape and murder case.
“Such challenges are faced by the government. It shouldn’t have been given all this hype,” Gupta said.
He added that there was need to ensure justice to the victim. “We need to get the girl justice. These are some of the biggest challenges before the government today. We have given undue importance to this case, I feel”, he added.
The matter was deliberately hyped, Gupta added. The case is in court, which will decide on it, he said.
An eight-year-old girl was alleged raped and brutally killed in a village in Kathua district. There was outrage and protests across the country over the crime.
“There are various issues and bigger ones (confronting J&K). They need to be resolved. we should not confined to it (Kathua case),” he added.
Referring to last general elections and the state polls, Gupta said BJP had won three parliamentary seats in J&K and 25 seats in Assembly polls. We should do better than that, he added.
Gupta, who is a three-time Jammu mayor between 2005 and 2010, contested the Assembly polls for the first time from Gandhinagar constituency in 2014 and won. He was appointed as Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in 2015.
As the Speaker of the J&K Assembly, Gupta courted controversy by claiming that Rohingyas who settled near the Sunjuwan Army camp were involved in the terror attack carried out in February this year.
Meanwhile, Opposition National Conference leader Omar Abdullah lashed out at Kavinder Gupta for terming the Kathua rape and murder a minor incident that media should not focus on.
“What justice can one expect from @MehboobaMufti when her Deputy CM calls the rape & murder of an 8 year old ‘a minor incident that the media shouldn’t focus on'(sic), Omar wrote on Twitter.
The opposition leader also hit out at Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for inducting a BJP MLA into her council of ministers who reportedly attended a rally in support of the accused persons in the Kathua rape and murder case.
“(Two) 2 BJP ministers removed in J&K for attending a pro-rapist rally & a MLA who is reported to have attended the same rally is promoted as a minister. Why are the BJP/ @MehboobaMufti confused about where they stand on the #Kathua rape? (sic)” Omar asked.
He was referring to the induction of MLA, Kathua Rajiv Jasrotia, who reportedly attended the rally organised by Hindu Ekta Manch in support of the accused in the rape and murder case, in the council of ministers today.
