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| Aftab gets 14 yrs imprisonment in Meenakshi abduction, rape case | | | JAMMU, June 12 (JNF): After 11 years of the incident that had sparked off violent protests in Udhampur town for more than a month, Aftab Ahmad Chandel was today awarded 14 years of rigorous imprisonment by additional sessions judge, R N Wattal for abducting and raping a minor a girl in room No 207 of Niharka Yatri Niwas at Katra on February 8, 2001.
While Aftab hails from ward No 7, MH Morh, Shiv Nagar, the girl too is resident of Udhampur.
The court, after hearing the two sides, awarded two years imprisonment to the accused and imposed on him a fine of Rs 1,000 under section 363 of RPC, five years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2,000 for the commission of offence under section 366 of RPC and seven years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 for the commission of offence under section 376 of RPC. All the sentences shall run concurrently, the court ordered.
On February 9, 2001, Meenakshi's father lodged a written complaint with Udhampur police station that her daughter had been abducted a day before, i.e on February 8, by Aftab in connivance with Vikram Singh Slathia, son of Kumar Singh Slathia of Slathia Chowk, Udhampur and Anoop Khajuria, son of Krishan Dutt Khajuria of Arya Samaj Gali, Udhampur, in a Maruti car (JK02H/8874).
However, following violent protests and on public demand, the case was later transferred to CBI which, after holding an investigation into it, presented challan in the court against Aftab on April 11, 2001.
It was mentioned in the chargesheet that the investigation in terms of section 173, sub section (8) of CrPC was continuing and complicity of the accused Vikram Slathia and Anoop Khajuria was under probe.
The investigation revealed that on February 8, 2001, after taking tea and snacks in room No 207 of Niharka Yatri Niwas, Katra, and Aftab bolted it from inside and started misbehaving with Meenakshi.
Although she resisted the sexual assault on her, the accused forcibly took off her clothes and raped her. He kept her in the room for an hour. Thereafter, he brought her to Udhampur in the car and dropped her near Army Public School, Udhampur. From there, she went to the house of her cousin Manjeet Singh Sambyal, a teacher in Army Public School, Udhampur. Manjeet's wife Meena informed Meenakshi's elder brother Vicky who soon reached their residence and rebuked her for leaving the house without intimation.
After sometime, she left her cousin's residence and went to the office of additional S P, Katra, to report the matter to him but he was not there. On February 9, when Vikram inquired from Aftab about Meenakshi, he told him that he had dropped her near Army Public School, Udhampur.
Aftab then left Udhampur and came to Jammu where he met a KAS officer. From Jammu, he went to Chandigarh and stayed there in house No 1072, sector 21-B from February 10, 2001, to February 13, 2001.
From Chandigarh, he called up additional SP, Katra, Prabhat Singh and finally surrendered before him on February 14, 2001.
During investigation, while Aftab was found to have committed offence punishable under section 376 of RPC, no evidence about the involvement of Vikram and Anoop emerged. The supplementary charge sheet was filed against the accused under section 376 of RPC with the prayer for charging Aftab under section 376 of RPC and discharging Vikram and Anoop.
Awarding the sentence, the additional sessions judge observed that rape was a serious and heinous crime.
"Rape is the conscious process of intimidation by which men keep women in state of fear and leading to the wastage of half of talent and energy of the society. The rape shatters the very physique of the victim. A victim of rape is lowered in her own estimation and in estimation of the society. It is tough for a rape victim to adjust in social set up. A rapist not only violates victim's privacy and personal integrity, but inevitably causes serious psychological as well as physical harm in the process. Rape is not merely a physical assault, it is often destructive of the whole personality of victim. A murderer destroys the physical body of victim; a rapist degrades the very soul of helpless female. The courts owe a great responsibility in this connection," he observed.
With these observations, he awarded 14 years of rigorous imprisonment to the accused who was sent to district jail at Ambphalla here.
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