What justice can one expect from @MehboobaMufti when her Deputy CM calls the rape & murder of an 8 year old “a mino… https://t.co/oIrZUCInCl — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) 1525097114000

जम्मू-कश्मीर में भाजपा के नये उप मुख्यमंत्री ने अब कठुआ की दरिंदगी का मज़ाक़ उड़ाते है, उसे ‘छोटी सी घटना’ बताते… https://t.co/eGyhC86yMa — Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) 1525094953000

(With inputs from PTI)

NEW DELHI: Within hours of getting sworn in as the deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Kavinder Gupta today sparked a controversy after he called the incident of rape of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu's Kathua a "small incident". The minister later accused the media of misinterpreting his statement.Speaking to the media, Gupta said that the Kathua rape is a small incident and it should not be given too much importance."It (Kathua rape and murder) was a small thing. We have to be careful in the future that such incidents are not repeated," Gupta told reporters here.He was replying to questions on whether the ruling coalition was under pressure in the Kathua rape and murder case ."Such challenges are faced by the government. It shouldn't have been given all this hype," Gupta said.He added that there was need to ensure justice to the victim."We need to get the girl justice. These are some of the biggest challenges before the government today. I think the case was not a .... we have given undue importance to this case, I feel," he added.The matter was deliberately hyped, Gupta added. The case is in court, which will decide on it, he said.National Conference leader, Omar Abdullah, slammed chief minister Mehbooba Mufti over Gupta’s controversial remark."What justice can one expect from Mehbooba Mufti when her Deputy CM calls the rape and murder of an 8-year-old “a minor incident that the media shouldn’t focus on,” he tweeted.Congress also lashed out at the saffron party and said that their slogan of "Save Daughters" was actually a warning."In J&K, BJP's new deputy chief minister makes fun of Kathua atrocity. Terms it a "small incident". It has been once again established that BJP's "Beti Bachao" slogan was more of a warning," Congress leader Randeep S Surjewala tweeted.Facing backlash, Gupta later accused the media of misinterpreting his statement and said that attempts are being made to intentionally incite the matter."This matter is sub judice. The Supreme Court will decide. It is not right to rake up the issue. I had said that there are a lot of such incidents. People should not incite this issue for malicious gains," he said.Earlier today, Gupta, described as an old RSS hand, took oath as deputy chief minister in place of Nirmal Singh , who had submitted his resignation last night, officials said.Gupta, who is a three-time Jammu mayor between 2005 and 2010, contested the Assembly polls for the first time from Gandhinagar constituency in 2014 and won. He was appointed as Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in 2015.As the Speaker of the J&K Assembly, Gupta courted controversy by claiming that Rohingyas who settled near the Sunjuwan Army camp were involved in the terror attack carried out in February this year.Read this story in BengaliThe major shake-up of the council of ministers followed BJP ministers Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga resigning from the cabinet earlier this month after they were criticised for taking part in a rally in support of those accused in the Kathua rape and murder case.Earlier this year, an eight-year-old girl was alleged raped and brutally killed in a village in Kathua district. There was outrage and protests across the country over the crime.Read this story in Marathi