AI seeks release of detained teenager

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir authorities must immediately release a teenage girl, her father and aunt who are being detained in protective custody by the police in Handwara, Kupwara district, Amnesty International (AI) India chapter said in a statement issued on Saturday.

Pending their release, they must be granted prompt access to their family and lawyers, the statement said.

The girl has been detained since 12 April, and her family members since 13 April.

A teenage girl who has been allegedly sexually assaulted needs to receive sensitive and respectful treatment from the authorities, and not be herself detained in police custody, said Zahoor Wani, Campaigner, Amnesty International India. If the family needs protection, they should receive it at a location of their choosing.

Media reports quote a senior state police official as stating that the family had asked for police protection, but the girls mother has denied this claim, the statement added.

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The Jammu and Kashmir High Court, which is hearing a petition for the release of the girl and her relatives, has asked the state government to respond to allegations that the three are being illegally detained. The case will next be heard on 20 April.

Five people have been killed since 12 April when protests broke out in Handwara over allegations that the girl was sexually assaulted by an army man from the Indian Army. A widely circulated video purportedly shows the girl later denying the assault. The girls family has claimed that the statement was made under duress.

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