Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: In the infamous 2006 Jammu and Kashmir sex scandal case, the special CBI court today convicted five accused including a former DIG of BSF and an encounter specialist former DSP of J&K Police and acquitted two others due to benefit of doubt. The quantum of judgement will be pronounced on June 4. This scandal had hit headlines after the J&K police discovered two video CDs showing Kashmiri minors being sexually exploited.

A special CBI court of Gagan Geet Kaur here held five people guilty in a 2006 sex scandal in Jammu & Kashmir in which minors were sexually exploited. Those who have been held guilty are former DSP of J&K Police and encounter specialist Mohd Ashrif Mir, former DIG of BSF KC Padhi and three others Shabbir Ahmad Laway, Shabbir Ahmad Langoo and Masood Ahmad. Meanwhile the then Advocate General of Jammu and Kashmir Anil Sethi and businessman Mehraj-ud-Din Malik have been acquitted by court due to benefit of doubt.

CBI prosecutor K P Singh said, "The court has held five persons guilty in the scandal while two persons have been acquitted in this case."

This sex scandal came to light in 2006 after the Jammu and Kashmir police came across video CDs of some Kashmiri minors being sexually exploited and during the investigations names of 56 people allegedly involved in the racket came up including the then two ministers in J&K government besides several legislators, bureaucrats and police officials. The police had then questioned the minors and the alleged kingpin Sabeena. These minors who were forced into prostitution were paid between Rs 250 to Rs 500.

In May 2006 this case was transferred to CBI from J&K Police and later that year the Supreme Court transferred the case to the district court in Chandigarh due to sensitive nature of the case.

As per the CBI charge sheet, there were four survivors and nine accused in the case. During the course of the trial, prime accused Sabeena and her husband Abdul Hamid Bulla died as they allegedly use to run a brothel in Habba Kadal area of Srinagar.

Meanwhile three survivors turned hostile during the trial and the fourth one was kept in CBI protective custody. Due to the sensitive nature of the case and involvement of minors, the entire trial was kept in-camera and code words were used by the CBI so that the identity of the complainants and witnesses were not compromised.

The then J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah submitted his resignation when his name was linked with this case but the then J&K Governor N N Vohra had refused to accept his resignation.

The case was among the oldest listed cases in the district court here.

TIMELINE

In 2006 this case came to light when J&K police got two video CDs showing Kashmiri minors being sexually exploited.

These minors were forced into the sex trade & were exploited sexually by politicians, bureaucrats and police officials.

In May 2006 the case was transferred to the CBI after names of then two J&K ministers and several MLAs came up during investigation.

The Supreme Court shifted the trial to Chandigarh CBI court the same year.

In 2009 the then J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah resigned after his name was also linked to the case but the governor rejected his resignation.

The main accused Sabeena, and her husband Abdul Hamid Bulla died during trial.