Handwara girl denies molestation by soldier, blames local youth

In an ironic twist to the tale, the Handwara girl has now claimed that she was never  molested by an army personnel. She, instead, claimed that she was harassed by some of the local youth that caused a scuffle and eventually led to the death of three people as the police opened fire.

As per Times of India’s report, the girl confession was recorded as widely circulated on youtube

Here is the piece translated by TOI "I went to the (public) washroom and handed my bag to a friend. When I came back, a Kashmiri student heckled me and snatched my bag. The boy in school uniform slapped me and asked 'if there were no boys in the valley' (angrily insinuating that the girl was in a relationship with a soldier). I was shocked and confused about what he had said. Suddenly, several boys gathered. The boy asked me to go to the police station with him. There was a police uncle nearby. I told the boy to return my bag so that I could go to police station with the cop. He said he would not return my bag and started abusing me."

Two youth and an aged lady were killed when Army opened fire in Handwara, to disperse a stone-pelting mob which was protesting against alleged molestation of a girl by some of its personnel. The killing triggered more protests in the town and had an echo in Srinagar and Pulwama districts of Kashmir as well.

In the aftermath of the gory protest, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said the security personnel involved in the killing of the youth will be given exemplary punishment as such incidents cannot be tolerated since these have a "negative impact" on the state government's efforts to consolidate peace efforts.

The army too has ordered an inquiry while Jammu and Kashmir Police registered a criminal case and began investigations into the incident which triggered more protests in Handwara and had an echo in Srinagar and Pulwama districts of Kashmir as well.