Kathua, April 16: The trial in the Kathua rape and murder case against the eight accused men who allegedly drugged, tortured and gang-raped an 8-year-old girl in a village temple here for a week in January this year, begins today. The Hearing of the case is scheduled to take place at the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate. According to reports, the Jammu and Kashmir government has appointed two special public prosecutors, both Sikhs, for the trial in the sensitive case. This move is being seen as an effort to ensure there is "neutrality" in view of Hindu-Muslim polarisation over the case.

In connection with the case, two First Information Reports (FIRs) have been filed: one against eight people for allegedly being involved in the crime and another has been filed against a group of lawyers which had allegedly stopped the police from filing charge sheet against the eight accused. Two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ministers leaders, Chandra Prakash Ganga and Lal Singh, have also resigned following accusations of attending a rally in support of the miscreants responsible for the crime.

The alleged gangrape and murder of the eight-year-old girl, who belonged to the nomadic Muslim community, took place in the Kathua district in January. After being missing for a week, her body was found on January 17. Details of the rape-murder revealed by the charge sheet triggered public and political outrage and exposed cracks in the state's ruling coalition. In Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, an eight-year-old Muslim nomadic girl was allegedly abducted, drugged, gang-raped, tortured and killed. After being missing for a week, her body was found on January 17.