The chargesheet filed by the CBI into the deaths of two women in Shopian has strongly indicted the Jammu and Kashmir government for botching up the in

Srinagar The chargesheet filed by the CBI into the deaths of two women in Shopian has strongly indicted the Jammu and Kashmir government for botching up the investigation, even as it has invited allegations of a cover-up. As the Valley witnessed a fresh slew of protests, the National Conference-led coalition government has been guarded in its response to the CBI findings which have discredited every government department handling the case.

While Chief Minister Omar Abdullah broke his silence on the report for the first time on Tuesday, he did not say very much. “We are yet to receive the CBI report,” Omar told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Srinagar. “The High Court is still monitoring the case and it has not taken any decision yet. Let High Court announce its final verdict, only then can we react.”

When asked if the coalition intends to take responsibility for the botch-ups, he had earlier told The Indian Express, “The government has not been given the report. Wherever the responsibility ultimately lies will be determined once we have a chance to read the report ourselves”.

Previously, Law Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar, who has stated that the “findings are not final”, said, “The case is with the High Court. Our government will wait for the court verdict.”

The CBI report handed over to the J-K High Court says that Neelofar Jan, 22, and her sister-in-law Asiya, 17, died due to drowning and were not raped and murdered. The CBI also filed a chargesheet against 13 people for allegedly fabricating evidence.

The CBI findings have come as a double-edged sword for the ruling National Conference-Congress coalition as it has consistently changed its stand on the issue. For one, accepting the CBI findings and following it up with action has the potential to trigger law and order problems besides providing the Opposition ammunition to target the government. And if the government decides to reject the report, it will yet again find itself pushed into a corner.

Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti has termed the CBI findings a “charade”, saying that the investigation by multiple agencies was aimed at shielding the culprits . “It now seems as if the investigation was done to prove the initial verdict of drowning by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to be true,” she said.

The separatists, too, have rejected the findings while the High Court Bar Association is at the forefront of the legal battle to question the CBI investigation.

The Majlis-e-Mashawarat — the group that was formed in Shopian to fight for justice for the two women — has also accused the government of a cover-up. This sentiment is shared by many in the Valley.

A senior NC leader admitted on condition of anonymity: “There is a strong public perception that the government has been out to cover up the case. The problem began when Omar sahib initially said that the preliminary police reports suggest that the women drowned. For people, it has come full circle.” He added, “There is no way we can convince people that the two women drowned in the nallah. Our only option is to wait in silence.”