An Indian court has convicted six Hindu men for involvement in the gang rape and murder of an eight-year-old Muslim girl in Jammu and Kashmir last year.
Asifa Bano, from nomadic Muslim community, was drugged, held captive in a temple and sexually assaulted for a week before being strangled and battered to death with a stone in January 2018.
The incident sparked outrage across India and prompted the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to approve the death penalty, later that year, for those convicted of child rape.
According to a 15-page charge sheet, the abduction, rape and killing of the Muslim girl was part of a plan to strike fear in her nomad community and drive the minority out of the area.Among those accused are a Hindu priest and police officers.
“This is a victory of truth,” the prosecution lawyer M Farooqi said outside the court. “The girl and her family have got justice today. We are satisfied with the judgment.”
The six Hindu men face the death penalty with a minimum of life imprisonment.
“We will appeal against the convictions in a higher court,” said defense lawyer H.S. Pathania.
A seventh man was acquitted while an eighth person, who was said to be underage, faces a separate trial.
The country has long been plagued by violence against women and children.
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