Kathua temple rape: Sedatives left victim unable to resist sexual assault

Agencies
July 30, 2018

Jammu/Pathankot, Jul 30: The eight-year-old girl from Kathua, who was gang-raped and killed, was overdosed with a cocktail of sedatives through her captivity, "rendering her incapacitated" to resist sexual assault and murder, states the supplementary charge sheet filed by Jammu and Kashmir's Crime Branch on Monday.

The charge sheet filed in the Pathankot sessions court sums up the investigation of the Jammu and Kashmir Police's Crime Branch team and also gives details of the analyses of calls and bank accounts that led it to the eight accused of the brutal crime in January this year.

The supplementary charge sheet was submitted by a Crime Branch team -- led by Senior Superintendent of Police R K Jalla and special public prosecutors J K Chopra and Santokh Singh Basra, Bhopinder Singh and Harminder Singh -- before Pathankot District and Sessions Judge Tejwinder Singh.

"We have submitted the supplementary charge sheet, giving details of call analyses, bank details and medical reports," special public prosecutor Chopra told PTI.

The charge sheet lists in chilling detail the sedatives, including cannabis, forcefully given to the child from a minority nomadic community, who was abducted on January 10 and allegedly kept in captivity for three days. She was killed on January 14 and her body was found in a forested area near Kathua on January 17, officials said.

During the course of the investigation, "it has been established that the victim was administered sedatives by accused during her captivity", the charge sheet states.

She was given 'mannar' (believed to be local cannabis) as well as Epitril 0.5 mg on an empty stomach, it says.

"She was forcefully administered five tablets of Clonazepam of 0.5 mg each on January 11, 2018, which is higher than the safe therapeutic dose. Subsequently, more tablets were given...The signs and symptoms of an overdose may include drowsiness, confusion, impaired coordination, slow reflexes, slowed or stopped breathing, coma (loss of consciousness) and death," according to the medical expert's report submitted along with the charge sheet.

The peak concentration of Clonazepam is achieved in the blood after "one hour to 1.5 hours" of oral administration and its absorption is complete "irrespective of (whether it is) administered with or without food", states the report.

It says the tablets given to the eight-year-old could have pushed her into a state of shock or coma.

"... the expert opinion coupled with other evidence that has come on record prima-facie establishes that the victim child was continuously administered an overdose of Clonazepam (Epitril) rendering her incapacitated to resist rape and murder," the charge sheet says.

The Crime Branch has arrested Sanji Ram, custodian of a temple where the child was allegedly confined, his son Vishal and his juvenile nephew, two special police officers Deepak Khajuria alias 'Dipu' and Surender Verma and friend Parvesh Kumar alias Mannu. All of them were named in the first charge sheet on April 9.

It also arrested head constable Tilak Raj and sub-inspector Anand Dutta, who allegedly took Rs 4 lakh from Ram and destroyed crucial evidence. Raj and Dutta have since been dismissed from service.

The supplementary charge sheet highlights the efforts of Vishal and his father Ram, alleged to be the mastermind behind the crime, to create an alibi. They were allegedly trying to show that Vishal had never visited Kathua was actually taking an exam on January 15.

It says Kumar was not only in constant touch with Khajuria but also in contact with Raj, who is alleged to have played a pivotal role in striking a deal between the police and Ram for destruction of evidence.

The charge sheet has submitted Kumar's detailed call analysis to show he shared a common location with other accused on crucial dates of the crime and immediately thereafter.

The duration of the calls made and their frequency increased after the rape and murder, leading to "irresistible conclusion of knee deep involvement of accused Surinder Kumar with other accused...", the charge sheet says.

The Crime Branch also conducted an analysis of the two bank accounts of Ram and found he had made huge cash withdrawals.

Witness statements recorded by the Crime Branch confirmed the accused had undertaken no constructional activity and had no social obligation either, the document says.

The Crime Branch alleged in its charge sheet that the withdrawals were made to bribe the police officers for the destruction of evidence.

A copy of the supplementary charge sheet has been handed to the defence counsel.

Earlier this month, the Crime Branch informed the Supreme Court that it would be submitting a supplementary charge sheet in the case.

The apex court bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justices D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, had on July 9 given it eight weeks to file the document.

The district and sessions court in Pathankot framed charges of rape and murder against the seven accused in the case on June 8, after the Supreme Court transferred the case from Kathua on a plea of victim's family.

Ram, considered the main accused, is alleged to have hatched the conspiracy with the other accused for kidnapping the girl as part of a strategy to remove the minority nomadic community from the area.

The fate of the eighth accused, a juvenile, was yet to be decided after the Crime Branch moved an application in the high court claiming him to be an adult.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
December 6,2025

indigoticket.jpg

With IndiGo flight disruptions impacting thousands of passengers, the airline on Saturday said that it will offer full waiver on all cancellations/reschedule requests for travel bookings between December 5, 2025 and December 15, 2025.

Earlier in the day, the civil aviation ministry had directed the airline to complete the ticket refund process for the cancelled flights by Sunday evening, as well as ensure baggage separated from the travellers are delivered in the next two days.

In a post on X, titled 'No questions asked', IndiGo wrote, "In response to recent events, all refunds for your cancellations will be processed automatically to your original mode of payment."

"We are deeply sorry for the hardships caused," it further added.

Several passengers, however, complained of not getting full refund as promised by the airline.

Netizens have shared screenchots of getting charged for airline cancellation fee and convenience fee.

"Please tell me why u have did this airline cancellation charges when u say full amount will be refunded (sic)," a user wrote sharing a screenshot of the refund page.

"Well, but you have still debited the convenience charges," wrote another.

Passengers have also raised concerns about the "cancel" option being disabled on the IndiGo app. "First enable the 'Cancel' button on your App & offer full refund on tickets cancelled by customers between the said dates," wrote a user.

A day after the country's largest airline, IndiGo, cancelled more than 1,000 flights and caused disruptions for the fifth day on Saturday, the ministry said that any delay or non-compliance in refund processing will invite immediate regulatory action.

The refund process for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be completed by 8 pm on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement.

"Airlines have also been instructed not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were affected by cancellations," it said.

On Saturday, more than 400 flights were cancelled at various airports.

IndiGo has also been instructed to set up dedicated passenger support and refund facilitation cells.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: Public transport in Mangaluru is set for a state-led transformation as the government moves to deploy 100 new electric govt buses to replace unreliable private services. The initiative aims to provide a dependable alternative to private operators who have been frequently "cutting trips," leaving thousands of commuters stranded.

The announcement was made by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV during a public phone-in session. The move specifically targets routes where private bus service has become erratic, ensuring that citizens no longer have to rely on a fluctuating private sector for their daily commute.

Restoring the Govt Presence

The transport crisis was brought to the forefront by Ramayya, a resident of Bajal, who highlighted a growing trend of private buses skipping morning and night trips. With the previous KSRTC (govt) services discontinued, residents have been left without a fallback option.

To fix this, the DC confirmed that the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme will bring 100 government-owned electric buses to the city:

•    Phased Deployment: The first 50 of the new 100 government buses are scheduled to arrive by March 2026.

•    State Infrastructure: Two new government depots, including one at Mudipu, are being prepared for operations.

•    Recruitment: The state has already begun training a new batch of government bus drivers to ensure the fleet is operational the moment it arrives.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
December 16,2025

bengal.jpg

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.