Latest news with #ZubairAhmadBhat
The Print
02-07-2025
- The Print
‘Came in using broken window, gagged her': How vacation in Pahalgam turned nightmare for 70-yr-old woman
More than two months later, after his arrest on 12 June, a local court in Anantnag last week rejected the bail application of accused Zubair Ahmad Bhat, questioning the 'moral value of the Kashmiri society', and remarking that mountains and meadows alone won't rescue Kashmir as a tourist destination. She said that an unknown man had entered her room from the window, raped and injured her, before escaping by taking the same route. New Delhi: For a tourist family of four from Pune, a vacation in the picturesque town of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir back in April took a tragic turn. On the night of 11 April, the 70-year-old grandmother came screaming into the lobby of their hotel, sending her son and daughter-in-law into a panic. 'This court, which every day witnesses the reflection of the probity level of this society, expresses its concern that it is hopelessly getting eroded on various fronts. The sooner the sheet-anchors, conscious keepers, watch dogs, and philanthropists of this society rise to the occasion to check what is going wrong on the moral front of the society, the better it will be for saving Kashmir as paradise on earth in its true sense,' Principal Sessions Judge Tahir Khurshid Raina said in his 27 June order. 'Mere meadows, mountains, lush green fields, forests, springs, rivers, rivulets and gardens will not come to the rescue of Kashmir as a desired tourist destination.' Also Read: Udaipur rape case: Accused saw French woman at ad shoot hrs before approaching her at dinner Broken window The family had finished dinner and was getting ready to retire for the night, when the survivor came out of her room around 9.30 pm into the lobby of the small resort in Ganeshbal. The widowed woman was accompanied by her son, daughter-in-law and grandchild on the trip. The incident was reported to the nearest police station in Pahalgam soon after. The police registered an FIR under Sections 64 (rape) and 331(4) (house-trespass) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita around 10 pm. Ponywallahs and drivers working in the area were questioned, police officers said. 'The complainant's mother had said that the window's lock was not working. It was not locked from inside, and hence it was not shut. She had also complained of being gagged before being raped. Considering the size of population here, ponywallahs and tourists were the only suspects,' an officer told ThePrint. Based on the woman's statement before the magistrate under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and technical evidence gathered from the resort premises, investigators zeroed in on four suspects. All of them were local residents, and were detained for questioning the following day. But only Bhat was formally arrested. During the probe, it was allegedly found that Bhat, a ponywallah, had been with the family for three-four days before the incident on 11 April. Sources aware of the matter said that the victim's family left Pahalgam days after the incident, post the conclusion of all necessary procedures, such as recording of statement before a magistrate, and medical examination that substantiated sexual assault. 'Reflection of highest degree of depravity, sick mentality' Taking note of the sequence of events, the court said last week that the victim was alleged to have been sexually assaulted by an accused, even younger than her son who had complained to the police. 'Taking advantage of her being alone in her hotel room in Pahalgam, the accused as alleged, entered her room, gagged her mouth in the blanket, raped her, caused her injuries, and then fled through the window of the room,' Justice Raina noted in his order, remarking that the offence was committed in a dastardly manner. He observed that scrutiny of the case diary, along with statements of witnesses, medical experts' report, and the Forensic Science Laboratory report, negated the grounds for bail raised by the accused. 'This is what she carried home from Pahalgam for the rest of her life, where she had come to enjoy the beauty of Kashmir,' he further said. 'The alleged incident is highly unfortunate, condemnable by all possible words, and ought to have jolted the conscience of this society, which claims its moorings to be based on rich ethical values and culture, but now stands shaken to the hilt. A revered guest, who was a senior lady was on her visit to this land of saints and seers, was treated so shabbily and shockingly that for all times to come, she will have remorse over the choice of place she made to spend a period of her old age with her children,' the court order read. 'It is not an isolated act to be ignored, but a reflection of the highest degree of depravity and sick mentality prevailing in the society, which must bow its head down in shame, and invites serious introspection as to what it stood for, and how that has now collapsed.' However, advocate Suhail Beg, who represented the accused in court, told ThePrint that the allegations against Bhat are not 'gospel truth', and that a lot remains in the judicial process before his client can be deemed guilty of the offence. (Edited by Mannat Chugh) Also Read: Trek at dawn, murder at noon: The many strands of Meghalaya honeymoon murder mystery
Hindustan Times
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Kashmiri man's death in Delhi: Parties seek probe
Amid allegations of foul play, the mysterious death of a Kashmir youth in Delhi earlier this week has triggered anger in the Valley with increasing demands from political parties for an impartial probe. Zubair Ahmad Bhat, 30, a resident of Ali Kadal in Srinagar, died in New Delhi under mysterious circumstances on Tuesday. His family has alleged that he had gone to Delhi for work and was assaulted in Delhi. People's Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti alleged that Bhat was subjected to custodial torture by Delhi Police. 'Zubair Ahmed Bhat didn't die under mysterious circumstances. Let me bite the bullet & state the unpleasant truth. His family claims he was picked up by Delhi Police, questioned & thrashed with rods. This 30 year old man was the sole breadwinner for his mother & siblings. When will this pattern of snuffing out the lives of innocent Kashmiris purely on suspicion end? We demand answers & accountability. @DelhiPolice @JmuKmrPolice,' Mufti wrote on X. She also met the family and said that his family members showed her the texts he had sent before death. She said: 'They showed me his last message, which said the police caught him and took his Aadhaar card. He messaged his sister and wrote, 'The police caught me because I am Kashmiri. They took my Aadhaar card, and then they beat me with sticks. I am in a hotel. May God have mercy. His family says he left Jammu for Delhi. After reaching Delhi, the police at one of the stations, I think it was Lajpat Nagar, caught Zubair, took his Aadhaar card, and beat him. The next day, when he went back to collect his Aadhaar card, they beat him again. And when he returned home, he died' is what happened to Zubair.' Congress leader and AICC chairman of media and publicity, Pawan Khera sought response of Delhi Police regarding Bhat's death. 'In the capital city, a young Kashmiri dies under mysterious circumstances and not a word of it gets discussed in mainstream media? If you don't question the authorities, obviously the authorities won't give you answers. @DelhiPolice needs to respond to questions surrounding the death of Zubair Ahmad Bhat,' he said on X. National Conference spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar sought an impartial probe. 'In this age of technology & smart policing, I fail to understand how a death could be termed mysterious. Clear the air around the death of Zubair Ahmad in Delhi @DelhiPolice. We demand an impartial, time bound probe into the incident,' Dar said. Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari said that the J&K administration should take up the matter with Delhi authorities. 'It is now the responsibility of the J&K administration to take up this matter with the authorities in Delhi to ensure that the truth behind his tragic death is fully uncovered,' Bukhari said.
