Shops were closed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua on Saturday as various groups observed a shutdown, demanding an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in the town in January.
The Bar Association and the Hindu Ekta Manch participated in the shutdown and staged sit-in protests. Residents of Kathua had met businessmen in markets on Friday to get their support for the shutdown, PTI reported.
Protestors alleged that officials of the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Crime Branch, which is looking into the eight-year-old’s rape and murder, had harassed people during their investigation.
While businesses were closed, authorities claimed that educational institutes and transport facilities functioned as usual.
“We are here to press for a CBI probe,” said Hindu Ekta Manch President Vijay Sharma. “We have lost faith in the crime branch investigation as politics is being played under the garb of an investigation.”
The Hindu Ekta Manch had held protests in Kathua in February, demanding the release of police officer Deepak Khajuria, who is accused of kidnapping, raping and killing the girl.
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