Gujjar-Bakerwal Trust demands fast-track trial in Kishtwar minor’s rape-murder
Representing the collective grief, anger, and deep anguish of the Gujjar-Bakerwal community and civil society across Jammu & Kashmir, the Gurjar Desh Charitable Trust (GDCT) convened an urgent press conference at the GDCT Complex, Gujjar Colony, Jammu today. The Trust strongly condemned the barbaric rape and murder of an innocent tribal Gujjar-Bakerwal minor schoolgirl in Gurinallha Chhatroo, Kishtwar, labeling it a catastrophic failure of institutional safety and local law enforcement.
In a resounding, solemn voice, the Members of the Trust expressed profound condolences to the bereaved family of the young victim. The Trust noted that the targeting of a minor student from a highly vulnerable, marginalized tribal community exposes severe gaps in the protection of girl children in remote mountainous regions. The community has expressed complete outrage over the heinous misuse of authority by an individual in a position of trust, demanding that the judicial system respond with maximum severity to restore public faith.
“We cannot tolerate such barbaric acts that shatter the safety, educational security, and dignity of our daughters; the government must intervene immediately to deliver exemplary punishment,” the Chairman of the Trust Arshad Ali Choudhary stated during the briefing.
To ensure complete judicial accountability and prevent any systemic cover-ups, the Gurjar Desh Charitable Trust has laid out a comprehensive framework of urgent requirements to the Union Territory Administration. Foremost, the Trust demands the immediate arrest of all the accused involved in this barbaric and heinous act of crime and establishment of a dedicated fast-track court to conduct daily hearings, ensuring that complete justice is delivered within a strict, time-bound framework to provide swift closure to the grieving family. Furthermore, the arrested individuals and any accomplices must face the absolute maximum penalties prescribed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act without any administrative leniency.
The Trust also insists that the ongoing investigation remain entirely unbiased, transparent, and monitored at the highest administrative levels to eliminate any possibility of local political interference. Alongside criminal prosecution, the Department of School Education must initiate immediate and rigorous safety audits across all schools in remote and tribal belts to protect vulnerable students from future exploitation. Finally, the administration must immediately extend comprehensive financial compensation, dedicated legal aid, and long-term psychological support to the victim’s family to assist them through this unimaginable tragedy.
Reaffirming its unwavering mandate to serve as a bastion for community welfare and human rights, the Gurjar Desh Charitable Trust calls upon the J&K UT Administration to execute these constitutional guarantees and welfare initiatives swiftly and transparently. GDCT remains fully committed to fighting alongside all legal and social stakeholders until complete justice reaches the victim’s household in Kishtwar.