New Delhi - A court in India's northern state of Jammu and Kashmir Saturday directed police to exhume the bodies of two women whose alleged rape and murder triggered widespread protests and violence, media reports said. The Jammu and Kashmir High Court ordered an autopsy done on the bodies women for additional forensic evidence in the case, the NDTV network reported citing court officials.
The court also directed investigators to interrogate local police officers in connection with the case, other news channels reported.
At least four people were killed and dozens injured in violent protests over the suspected rape and murder of the women whose bodies were found near a river in the southern Shopian town on May 30.
State authorities rejected allegations by family members that soldiers had committed the crimes. Medical tests later confirmed the women had been raped.
Large numbers of soldiers have been deployed to check attacks in the state, which has seen a separatist insurgency since the 1980s. Local residents and human rights groups have often accused the police and troops of rights violations.
