Protests in Pulwama after missing girl found murdered

Srinagar: Massive protests broke out Friday in Wanpora area of Pulwama district of south Kashmir after body of a girl, who was missing from last month, was recovered from Nowgam area of the city outskirts.

The 21-year-old victim (name withheld) daughter of Mohammad Ramzan of Wanpora, Pulwama had gone missing from her native village on November 26. Her family had filed a missing complaint with the police. On Thursday night, police had recovered body of the girl from Khanday Colony in Nowgam here. The girl was working at a private factory.

Reports reaching GNS Friday said that hundreds of people took to streets and staged protests at Wanpora, after news spread that the missing girl has been found murdered in Nowgam.

While the traders downed their shutters, the protesters, most of them youth, staged protests demanding stern punishment for the culprits. Later, the protesters dispersed on the assurance of senior police officials.

Addressing a press conference, SP, Pulwama, Tejinder Singh said that the victim had taken a lift from a truck driver at Kakpora area of the district on the fateful day. The driver, he said, brought the girl to Nowgam and murdered her.

He said that the accused driver Zahoor Ahmed after sustainedquestioning confessed to the crime.

“It was a blind murder case. We have arrested the accused. The body of the girl has been handed over to the family after completion of legal formalities,” Singh said.

He refused to confirm if the victim was murdered after rape. He said that post mortem report that will come in a day will provide more details about the incident.

Talking to GNS, Mohammad Ramzan, father of the murdered girl said that a fast track trial should be held and the accused should be hanged to death for killing his innocent daughter.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people participated in the funeral prayers of the slain girl. She was laid to rest at her ancestral graveyard.