Handwara girl feeling unsafe: Kashmir women’s panel chief -Governance Now

Handwara girl feeling unsafe: Kashmir women’s panel chief

The girl and her family are now afraid to go home, fearing militants may harm them

GN Bureau | April 21, 2016

#army #violence #Handwara #Kashmir #terrorists

The school-going girl from Handwara, a small town in north Kashmir, whose interaction with local youth had triggered violence resulting in killing of two persons, is feeling “unsafe and mentally disturbed”, said Nayeema Mehjoor, chairperson, Jammu and Kashmir state women’s commission.

Speaking to a local news agency CNS, Mehjoor said that the girl and other members of her family had been putting up with their relatives. They fear that in case they go home, militants might harm them.

Mehjoor, a former BBC journalist, also nailed the lies of the anti-India lobbies in Kashmir who have been alleging that the girl was in police custody.

“One of two policemen are guarding her to give her a sense of safety,” she said and added: “She is feeling unsafe and mentally disturbed.”

The SWC chief, who claimed to have spoken to the girl, said, “She is quite exhausted and disturbed. Even her family members are feeling insecure about their and other children’s safety and that is the reason they have been putting up with their relatives.”

The teenaged girl has in fact become the latest prop in the hands of anti-Indian forces in Kashmir.

Initially the girl was thought of having been molested by army men posted in the town, located in the route of infiltrating terrorists from Pakistan. However, later the girl admitted before a judicial magistrate that she had protested against the harassment by two local youth and a shopkeeper and that the army was not involved, at all.

The social media and propaganda mills were abuzz with the ‘betrayal’ by the Handwara girl after she deposed before a magistrate and stuck to her version that no army man had even spoken to her. Till then, it was being said that since local youth had objected to her alleged manhandling in full public view, the protests had taken erupted, leading the army to open fire killing two persons.

The police had indeed been insensitive in leaking the video in which the girl states [probably inside a police station or her home] the facts, without blurring her face and giving away her identity. The video has since been taken off and replaced with one in which her face is not recognizable, but it has already done the damage – the girl and her family have gone into virtual hiding fearing threats to their lives from hardliners.

Media in Kashmir had clearly taken sides; blamed the police for keeping the girl in their custody and tutoring her to speak. A woman claiming to be her mother, who spoke to media persons with her face covered with a dupatta, alleged that her daughter had been misled. She also alleged that her minor daughter was in police custody, giving fodder to the anti-India forces to rev their campaign.

However, state police chief, K Rajendra, has told Mehjoor that the police will ensure the safety of the girl as long as she feels unsafe and wherever she chooses to stay.

Comments

Other News

UPI completes 10 years of digital payments revolution

The Unified Payments Interface (UPI), launched on August 25, 2016 by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) under the regulatory oversight of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has completed 10 years of transforming digital payments in India. UPI has emerged as the backbone of India’s digi

Here’s an I.D.E.A. for career growth and success

Success in today’s professional organisation is no longer solely determined by academic qualifications, technical expertise or years of experience. While these attributes do matter, organisations increasingly value individuals who demonstrate the right mindset and behavioural qualities. The ability

PM interacts with CEOs, founders of space startups

Prime minister Narendra Modi interacted with CEOs and Founders of 20 Space Startups at Seva Teerth on Friday. CEOs of leading companies in the space sector working in diverse fields ranging from building rockets and reusable semi-cryogenic launch vehicles, avionics, satelli

From one cow to a dairy business

In 2012, Anita Dash wasn`t dreaming of building a dairy brand. She wasn`t studying business models or planning market expansion. Like countless mothers across India, her focus was on something much simpler: giving her children a better future. At the time, her most valuable

Ethanol blending: The two sides of a story

India`s crude oil consumption is estimated to be around 88.5% imported from abroad. This one single figure is also responsible for why ethanol has become both an economic strategy and fuel policy at the same time. In an economy like India, which depends so heavily on foreign oil, any increase in internat

Food inflation: Not a macroeconomic statistic but a developmental indicator

India`s retail inflation shows a reassuring picture at first glance. According to the latest data, Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation edged up to 4.38% in June 2026 from 3.93% in May 2026, but continued to remain within the Reserve Bank of India`s (RBI) target band of 4% (+/- 2%). However, beneath this