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Army officer gets 7 years for rape

An army officer has been sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment and dismissed from service for his involvement in a rape incident at village Naugam Banihal on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway in Doda district.

The announcement came on Wednesday in a defence press release, which also made an oblique indictment of the National Conference government and seemed to blame the administration for inaction in penalising a special police officer involved in the incident.

Official sources in Jammu said that Captain Ravinder Singh Tewatia raped a 17 year old village girl along with an SPO on the night of February 14 this year. The defence spokesman, in a statement in Jammu, said that the officer was court-martialled on September 30. The statement said captain Tewatia was posted in Rashtriya Rifles at Banihal for anti-militancy operations and he and SPO Bharat Bhushan committed the crime.

The spokesman said that the medical examination of the victim had confirmed that she had been raped. However the army spokesman in the statement said, "It is not known what action has been taken against the SPO by the Jammu and Kashmir government.

The defence spokesman said, "Whereas the expeditious dispensation of justice by the army authorities has been appreciated by all and reinforced the faith in the army, the delay in trying the SPO is causing immense agitation in the minds of the public".

Quoting a school teacher, the release said, "Justice delayed is justice denied". The spokesman further said that members of the girl's family were "grateful to God that the guilty had been punished". The press release further adds, "The neighbours of the family were hopeful that the civil authorities would also ensure speedy award of punishment to the co-accused, who is reported to be trying to influence higher-ups to get away scot-free".

According to sources in Banihal, a group of SPOs led by captain Tewatia raided the house of Sonaullah Tantray. All four, posing as militants, were in civvies.

Captain Tewatia asked the inmates to prepare tea for them. The panic stricken family members began preparing tea. Two SPO's took the wife of Tantray upstairs and raped her repeatedly. Tewatia and Bhushan caught hold of Tantray's daughter and tore off her clothes. She was then raped by the army officer.

The officer and the three SPOs later escaped from the house in the dead of the night.

When the news broke the next morning, villagers came out on the streets and blocked traffic. They demanded action against those involved. Senior army officers visited the village and assured action. The three SPOs were also disarmed and arrested.

Minister of State for Home Mushtaq Ahmad Lone said "I will check up with the concerned officials on Thursday".

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