Jammu lawyers reiterate demand for CBI probe

Jammu, April 12: The Jammu Bar Association on Thursday reiterated its demand for a CBI probe into the Kathua rape and murder case, asserting that it did not support the accused but wanted a fair probe. B.S. Slathia, president of the bar association, told the media that attempts were being made to project the lawyers as supporters of the accused against whom the state crime branch has produced a damning charge sheet in the court. “Lawyers of Jammu are being maligned in order to divide the state on commul lines. All we have been saying is that the investigation of the case be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Does anyone say that the CBI is commul,” Slathia asked. He said the Crime Branch that has been investigating the case has brought an officer from the Kashmir Valley to carry out the probe while the organisation had enough staff in the Jammu region. He said the bar association had never objected to settlements of Muslims from the Valley or the Cheb region in Jammu. “We have objected to settlement of Rohingyas in Jammu because their presence here has security implications. The Jammu and Kashmir police charge sheet has said the main accused Sanji Ram, “the mastermind” of the crime, instigated his minor nephew and six others to execute the ghastly act to drive out the Bakarwal community from Hiragar tehsil.(IANS)