The Kashmir Molestation
Samaan Lateef
Srinagar
The Aam Admi Party (AAP) Kashmir candidate for Lok Sabha elections, Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat is facing several criminal charges including allegation of molesting a woman in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.
Bhat, who is a known Right to Information Act (RTI) activist, has been accused of outraging the modesty of a woman in a scuffle in Branwar locality of Chadoora in Budgam district.
Dr Bhat along with his five associates on Feb 27, 2010 allegedly beat up a woman and tore her clothes when they entered into a scuffle outside her residence.
The scuffle erupted after some unknown persons outside the house of woman in Branwar had flattened the tyre of Dr Bhat’s car.
The accused allegedly beat up woman’s son ruthlessly blaming him of removing air from tyre.
While trying to save her son, the woman allegedly got thrashing from the RTI activists and also her clothes were tore apart.
Subsequently, she filed a complaint against Dr Bhat and his associates in Chadoora police station.
After inaction of police, the complainant moved to Judicial Magistrate Chadoora for filing the case against Dr Bhat and his associates.
Court on March 12, 2010 directed the police to register the case against Dr Bhat and his associates.
Following this, Bhat and his other associates were arrested on March 12 2010. They were later released on bail.
Police after investigation filed chargesheet in 2013 against Dr Bhat and his five other associates in a court in Budgam district under section 354 (assault or criminal force on a woman with the intention to outrage her modesty), 341(Punishment for wrongful restrain), 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 427 (Mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon) Ranbir Panel Code.
“Chargesheet against Dr Bhat and other accused has been filed in the court,” a police officer posted in Chadoora police station told the Daily Post.
The AAP in its second list of its candidates for 2014 Lok Sabha elections, fielded Bhat, 36, for central Kashmir against Union Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah.
However, the accused had claimed that they had gone to Branwar to hold public education meetings on the J&K RTI Act. Some local political elements, wielding deadly weapons chased them upon which J&K police intervened, averting serious harm to their lives, they said.
Dr Bhat took up the matter with Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) which requested Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on March 13, 2010 to drop the case against the RTI activists. “Nipping this case in the bud will send a strong message to everybody that your government will not tolerate such misuse of the law enforcement machinery,” the CHRI said in its letter to Chief Minister.
http://www.dailypost.in/regions/himachal-j-k/17247-aap-s-kashmir-candidate-faces-molestation-charges