New J&K Dy CM Terms Kathua Rape-Murder As ‘Small Thing’

Jammu: Hours after taking oath as Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Kavinder Gupta raked up a controversy by stating that Kathua rape and murder case was a ‘small thing’ and much-hyped.

“It (Kathua rape and murder) was a small thing. We have to think over it so that such incidents are not repeated,” Gupta said.

Gupta was sworn-in as Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in a reshuffle on Monday.

Replying to query whether the government was under pressure due to the rape case, which grabbed eyeballs country-wide, he said, “Such challenges are faced by the government. It shouldn’t have been given all this hype,” Gupta said.

“We need to get the girl justice. These are some of the biggest challenges before the government today. I think we have given undue importance to this case,” he was quoted by PTI.

The case pertains to the alleged rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua district.

Earlier, two ministers from BJP, Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga. had resigned from the Cabinet after they were criticised for taking part in a rally supporting Kathua accused.

Besides Gupta, BJP Chief Sat Paul Sharma and six others were sworn-in as ministers.