The government of Jammu & Kashmir has directed the Crime Branch to conduct an investigation into the reported sexual assault and subsequent death of a tribal teenager in Kishtwar, amid claims of an attempted cover-up surrounding the incident.
This decision follows widespread protests in the district, triggered by allegations of sustained sexual abuse involving the minor, along with an attempted abortion that led to her death.
According to sources from The Indian Express, the Crime Branch has begun the transition process to take over the investigation from the existing Special Investigation Team that has been handling the case. This development occurs after the arrest of at least six individuals, which includes a nurse and a cleaner from the Kishtwar district hospital, who are accused of being complicit in the events leading to the girl’s fatal condition after she was brought in for an abortion that was unsuccessful.
Among those arrested are the headmaster accused of the crime, along with three of his relatives.
The legal petition filed in the Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh High Court states that the girl was seven months pregnant at the time of her death.
This handover of the investigation comes in response to a writ petition from the girl’s father, who has alleged a cover-up. He mentioned that he only learned of his daughter’s pregnancy two weeks prior to her death when she was taken to a health facility. He claims that the attending physician declined to inform law enforcement and instead instructed him to report the matter himself. The father described himself as “unlettered” and living well below the poverty line, leaving him unaware of the necessary procedures to follow.
Additionally, he asserted that once the pregnancy was discovered, the headmaster and others associated with him, including a local pharmacist and two teachers, attempted to conceal the situation.
In his petition, he stated, “The involvement of each individual, their communications with the accused headmaster and others, as well as their knowledge regarding the pregnancy and subsequent events, necessitates thorough investigation.” He emphasized that the circumstances surrounding the minor’s arrival in Kishtwar, the individuals who accompanied her, the medical facility where the ultrasound was performed, the medical records created, and those informed of the results all warrant scrutiny.
The father further alleged that following the confirmation of the pregnancy, a local council was convened to coerce the family into a resolution.
He contended that the suspects transported the girl to various local medical centers to facilitate the termination of her pregnancy. On August 19, she was reportedly taken to Kishtwar hospital for this procedure, after which her health worsened, necessitating her transfer to another facility in Doda, where she ultimately delivered a stillborn child, according to the petition.
At the second healthcare facility, records allegedly indicated that she was registered as the spouse of a 13-year-old relative of the headmaster.
The petition concluded by asserting that an independent specialized agency should investigate the case, given the deceased’s age, the severity of the allegations, the accused’s role as a government school teacher, and attempts to conceal the matter.
