Handwara Case: First arrested in molestation case after girl recognized him
One of a person accused has been caught in the molestation case of a girl in Handwara that triggered days of violence for past one week in north Kashmir.
The accused Hilal Ahmed Bandey was arrested from Handwara by Jammu and Kashmir police last night, officials stated that he is being questioned.
Bandey was accused of manhandling a girl on April 12 while she was stepping out of a public restroom in Handwara; the arrest was made after the girl’s statement before the chief judicial magistrate.
She also denied the allegation by local people that an army personnel tried to molest her. But the entire case will be solved once the other accused is arrested.
Immediately after the locals dragged the girl from the public restroom, an angry mob started pelting stones and ransacked the army bunker in Handwara.
Locals have been demanding withdrawal of the bunker but the army says it is strategically important for its troops. The bunker has been handed over to civil administration for development.
Meanwhile, curfew-like restrictions continued in Handwara and adjoining areas. J-K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti appealed to the people to help restore peace and promised severe punishment to those involved in the violence in Handwara and Kupwara that has left five people dead.
