Harry Potter star Emma Watson backs Kathua rape victim's lawyer

LOS ANGELES: Young British actress Emma Watson on Friday tweeted in support of lawyer Deepika Singh Rajawat, who has received death threats for fighting the case of a minor Muslim girl whose rape and murder in Kathua, occupied Kashmir, sent shockwaves around the world.

She shared an article ‘How the Kathua rape case lawyer is a force to reckon with’ on her Twitter account and wrote, “All power to Deepika Singh Rajawat”.

The Harry Potter star has been a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and has actively worked for the empowerment of women.

The article shared by Watson highlights Rajawat’s confidence, professional demeanour and defiance as she is flanked by men “who are not staring at her” but supporting her.

The female lawyer is representing Aasifa’s family whose body was recovered from Rassana forest in Kathua on January 17, a week after the eight-year-old girl went missing while grazing horses in the forest.

The victim girl was held inside a temple and was sedated before being brutally raped, tortured and murdered.

The case is in progress in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Rajawat has been in defiance against her own colleagues in the Jammu Bar Association who allegedly warned her against taking up the case for it was against influential Hindus of the area.

Talking to media, the lawyer has opened up about the threats saying, “Today, I don’t know, I am not in my senses. I can be raped, I can be killed and may be they won’t allow me to practice in court. They (have) isolated me, I don’t know how I can survive”.

The Supreme Court of India has ordered sufficient security for Rajawat, the Kathua rape victim’s family and to Talib Hussain, a member of the Bakerwal community who is helping the victim’s family.

Scores of people have voiced in support of Rajawat. Some even called her a lone warrior, while the others called her a hero and a fearless woman.

People have also appealed from the authorities for her protection as she was not only facing threats from other people but from her lawyer fraternity as well.

The Kathua rape case has sparked country-wide outrage and even attracted world’s attention towards the brutal killing.