Yesterday it was Budgam. Today it is Baramulla. Tomorrow, which daughter?

The most disturbing part of these crimes is the speed with which one tragedy is replaced by another. 

A family is pushed into grief, society expresses outrage, and before that pain finds any closure, another woman’s suffering enters public memory.

After the horror that shook Budgam, many believed that such a case would force a serious conversation about women’s safety in Kashmir. The hope was simple: a tragedy of such scale would awaken institutions, families and communities. 

Then came another case, this time in Baramulla, with another woman and another family facing an unbearable ordeal.

The question before Kashmir is no longer limited to what happened in one incident. The deeper question is what has happened to a society that speaks so often about values, honour and culture while failing to protect the people who give those ideas meaning.

The allegations emerging from Baramulla are deeply disturbing. Police have said the survivor reported sexual assault, and investigators have alleged that the assault was recorded on video. 

If proven in court, the crime reveals a level of cruelty that extends beyond the........

© Kashmir Observer