JAMMU: In the Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK), a board of doctors set up by the Jammu Medical College medical superintendent to ascertain the cause of death of the eight-year-old Kathua rape and murder victim, Aasifa Bano, has confirmed she died of asphyxiation while being sexually assaulted.
As per reports, the board was constituted on the request of the Hiranagar police station SHO. The reports said that the evidence was submitted in the court Pathankot District and Sessions Judge Dr Tejwinder Singh.
The minor girl, Aasifa, from the Muslim Bakkerwal community, was abducted, raped and murdered in January this year. The body of the girl was recovered from Rassana forest on January 17, a week after she went missing while grazing horses in the forest area.
On January 23, the case was handed over to the crime branch of Kashmir Police which formed a Special Investigation Team and arrested eight people including two Special Police Officers (SPOs) and a head constable, who was charged with destruction of evidence.
Among the culprits, former revenue official and the conspirator, Sanji Ram (60), surrendered before the crime branch on March 20 after his son, Vishal, was arrested from Uttar Pradesh.
According to the crime branch, following a medical examination on March 7, one of the culprits who was thought to be a juvenile was found to be 19 years
