Shopian truth nailed

Courtesy: Headlines Today
Exclusive: Shopian truth nailed
Harinder Baweja
New Delhi, February 13, 2010

The Shopian double rape-cum-murder case, that singed the Kashmir Valley for months last year, was based on doctored medical reports. While a CBI probe has already established this, evidence has come to light that shows the post-mortem reports of the victims were fudged at the behest of Majlis Mashawarat, an organisation that was at the forefront of the agitation against security forces.

Taped conversations between a Majlis representative and two doctors have emerged that nail the lie of the Shopian rapes. The Jammu and Kashmir Police tapped the phones of the Majlis officials and the doctors. Government doctors at the Kashmir hospitals who conducted the post-mortems on Asiya Jan and her sister-in-law Nilofer Jan, the two women security personnel were accused of raping and killing, knew they were not raped.

Yet, post-mortem reports were made to doctor the truth. Shopian and entire Kashmir burnt for nearly two months. The Omar Abdullah government faced its first serious crisis as the Valley erupted, accusing it of trying to shield the guilty.

But taped conversation between a doctor who conducted the post-mortem and Mohammad Shafi Khan, the vice-president of the Majlis - which was representing the families of the victims - show a deliberate attempt was made to cook up false reports.

Headlines Today is in exclusive possession of a copy of the audio tape and also another one in which conversations between Shafi Khan and Dr Qadir Khan were recorded.

Dr Khan was appointed by the Majlis as observer at the time when the bodies of Nilofer and Asia were exhumed by the CBI. Soon after the exhumation, he called up Shafi Khan and told him that Asiya's hymen was intact, which ruled out the charge of rape.

He told Shafi that the CBI had evidence to prove that the rape charges were false and suggested that the Majlis should now take the stand that "attempts to rape" were made.

Here are excerpts of their conversation.

Dr Qadir Khan: I have told you that the hymen is intact and our case has become weak. But if we say otherwise, that is not possible now because the CBI have taken samples and photographs. What can be done?

Shafi Khan: That is right.

Dr Qadir Khan: They have taken vaginal samples. We cannot lie in this regard and why should we lie? They have taken close photographs/ magnifying photographs. Even then, I told them that we cannot rule out attempt of rape. Because we can then say she (Asiya) was brave, she resisted. This I told the lady doctor present there and she agreed that it can also happen. Now take care of me. I do not want to get involved in this.

Dr Khan is on tape admitting that the hymen of one of the alleged victims was intact. But to the Majlis, he suggests that another fake charge be levelled as a way to save its face.

You can listen to these tapes at the following link :
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Video/83770/42/Videos/Shopian+case:+The+undoctored+truth.html

Nearly 900 people were injured in violence across the Valley after allegations of rape of the two women by the security forces surfaced. The entire valley witnessed several bandhs. Security personnel were arrested on charges of rape.

The CBI report accessed exclusively by Headlines Today says a "deliberate conspiracy was hatched against the police and the security forces where concerted efforts were made to create false evidence". The report says doctors at the Shopian and Pulwama hospitals created false postmortem reports, fudged slides of samples taken from the alleged victims' bodies and resorted to inducing and threatening the witnesses to give false testimony.

Dr Nighat Shaheen, who was on the team that conducted the second post-mortems on the victims, concluded that they had been raped without even examining their vaginas.

She admits her mistake to the Majlis vice-president and even said she wanted to go to the court to speak out the truth, but was stopped from doing so.

The CBI report says the first team of doctors prepared several post-mortem reports, making additions to suit the changing circumstances.

Dr Nighat and her associates falsely mentioned in their postmortem report that Asiya's hymen was ruptured.

However, doctors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) who conducted the autopsy after the CBI exhumed the bodies, found that Asiya's hymen was intact.

Dr Nighat and her associates said Nilofar died due to neurogenic shock. The AIIMS team found that she died due to asphyxia as a result of antemortem drowning.

Even after accepting that she had fudged the slides, Dr Nighat insisted that rape did take place.

The Abdullah government gave the clearance for tapping the phones of Majlis representatives, the doctors and lawyers of the Shopian bar council. But given the sensitivities in the Valley, it is a challenge for it to bring out the undoctored truth.