Srinagar, September 30: Under Opposition attack, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday tendered an unconditional apology for revealing the names of rape victims in the last five years in the state Assembly.
“I tender an unconditional apology. There is a deep sense of shame over revealing the names of the victims,” Omar told the Assembly.
The issue was raised by opposition leader Mehbooba Mufti, who accused the government of stigmatising the victims by revealing their identities in the Assembly. She said it was in contravention of section 228 (A) of the IPC and Supreme Court ruling on the matter.
CPM MLA Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami also supported Mufti on the issue.
The Chief Minister assured the House that such incidents will not be repeated. He said the Supreme Court ruling should not have been violated.
“Under what circumstances these details have been revealed, I will look into it and will come back to the House,” he said.
The Jammu and Kashmir government had on Wednesday made public the names of hundreds of rape victims in the state.
The list of names and residential details of the victims were made available by the Home Ministry, headed by the Chief Minister, in the Legislative Council.
The details were given in reply to a question by MLC Subash Chander Gupta.
The CPI(M) had on Thursday criticised the state government for disclosing the identity of rape victims and termed the move as “secondary victimisation” of the women.
——PTI