A court in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district has denied bail to a man accused of raping a 70-year-old tourist from Maharashtra. The court strongly criticised the state of society, calling the incident a reflection of “depravity and sick mentality”.Principal Sessions Judge Tahir Khurshid Raina rejected the bail plea of Zubair Ahmad from Ganeshbal Pahalgam on Friday.
The incident reportedly took place in April at a hotel in the popular tourist area of Pahalgam in South Kashmir. The elderly woman was staying there with her family. According to the police, the accused entered the woman’s hotel room when she was alone, gagged her with a blanket, raped her, caused injuries, and escaped through the window.
The attack was so brutal that the woman could not sit or move for several days, said officials.The accused applied for bail, saying he was falsely implicated due to personal enmity and that he was cooperating with the investigation. His lawyer also pointed out that no identification parade had been done.
However, the judge said the investigation file clearly showed evidence of rape carried out in a “highly dastardly manner”.“This is what she has carried from Pahalgam for the rest of her life, where she had come to enjoy the beauty of Kashmir,” the judge said.The judge added that medical reports, forensic findings, and the woman’s own statement support the rape charges. He said there was no strong reason to grant bail at this stage of the investigation, especially since the charge sheet had not yet been filed.
The incident reportedly took place in April at a hotel in the popular tourist area of Pahalgam in South Kashmir. The elderly woman was staying there with her family. According to the police, the accused entered the woman’s hotel room when she was alone, gagged her with a blanket, raped her, caused injuries, and escaped through the window.
The attack was so brutal that the woman could not sit or move for several days, said officials.The accused applied for bail, saying he was falsely implicated due to personal enmity and that he was cooperating with the investigation. His lawyer also pointed out that no identification parade had been done.
However, the judge said the investigation file clearly showed evidence of rape carried out in a “highly dastardly manner”.“This is what she has carried from Pahalgam for the rest of her life, where she had come to enjoy the beauty of Kashmir,” the judge said.The judge added that medical reports, forensic findings, and the woman’s own statement support the rape charges. He said there was no strong reason to grant bail at this stage of the investigation, especially since the charge sheet had not yet been filed.
The court said this was not just a single act to be ignored, but a reflection of how far society’s morals have fallen.
“It is a highly unfortunate and shameful act. A senior lady who came as a guest to this land of saints and seers was treated in such a shocking manner that she will regret ever choosing to visit Kashmir,” the judge noted.
The judge said the moral compass of society is weakening and called for immediate action and reflection.“Unless the leaders, guardians, and responsible members of this society act quickly to correct what’s going wrong morally, Kashmir will lose its true identity as paradise on earth,” the judge warned.
He added that Kashmir’s natural beauty, its meadows, rivers, and gardens, will not be enough to keep it a popular tourist destination if such acts continue.
Inputs from PTI
