Srinagar, May 29 : Justice continues to elude the family of Aasiya and Neelofar, the victims of double rape-and murder in Shopian, despite the passing of 13 years in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Aasiya and Neelofar were kidnaped by Indian men in uniform on the evening of this day (May 29) in 2009 when they had gone to tend their orchard in Shopian. They were gang-raped and subsequently murdered in custody. Their bodies were found in a shallow stream in Ranbiara area on the next morning.
Thirteen years have passed since Aasiya and Neelofar were raped and murdered but justice still continues to elude their family. The incident had triggered widespread protests across occupied Kashmir. The occupied territory convulsed with outrage and shut in protest for 16 days. Shopian town had observed an unprecedented 47-day shutdown demanding justice for the young women.
Shakeel Ahngar, husband of Neelofar and brother of Aasiya, who has lost faith in the Indian institutions and demanded justice from independent international forums. Shakeel in its interview had said he has now completely lost faith in all institutions of India and the occupied territory and demanded a probe by an independent international agency into the Shopian incident.
“I have nothing new to add to my poignant tale that I have already recounted umpteen times. The justice delivery system in this part of world stands frozen,” he said.He added that all investigations initiated by the occupation authorities were a smokescreen used to shield the perpetrators.
“The killers, the rapists are the ones who are doing the investigation,” says the father of one. How can you trust a system that is run by the very people who are part of the society that questions the integrity of a woman who has been raped?” he asked. He, however, said that he would never succumb to any pressure. “I am relentless in my pursuit for justice, come what may,” Ahangar added.