Kishtwar Teen Death: J&K Orders Crime Branch Probe into Assault, Cover-Up Claims
J&K government hands over the Kishtwar tribal minor's death case to the Crime Branch following allegations of sexual assault, a cover-up, and a high court petition.
The Jammu & Kashmir administration has directed the Crime Branch to take over the investigation into the death of a tribal teenage girl in Kishtwar district. The move follows allegations of prolonged sexual abuse, a failed abortion attempt, and a subsequent cover-up that triggered protests in the region.
The transfer comes days after the case was being handled by a Special Investigation Team (SIT). At least six individuals, including a nurse and a sweeper at the Kishtwar district hospital, have been arrested in connection with the case. The other accused include a school headmaster and three of his relatives.
The development coincides with a writ petition filed by the victim's father in the Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh High Court. The petition alleges that the girl was seven months pregnant at the time of her death. The father claims he only learned of the pregnancy a fortnight before her death when she was taken to a health centre. He alleges the doctor there refused to report the matter to police and instead asked him to do so, a procedure he says he was unaware of due to being unlettered and living in poverty.
The petition further alleges that after the pregnancy came to light, the headmaster and his associates, including a local chemist and two teachers, attempted to conceal the matter. It states that a panchayat was convened to pressure the family into a settlement.
According to the petition, the suspects took the girl to local medical facilities to terminate the pregnancy. On August 19, she was taken to the Kishtwar hospital where an attempt was made to end the pregnancy. Her condition deteriorated, and she was moved to a facility in Doda, where she delivered a stillborn child. The petition alleges that at the Doda facility, she was recorded as the wife of a 13-year-old relative of the headmaster. She died shortly after.
The petitioner has argued that the case requires investigation by an independent specialised agency, citing the victim's age, the nature of the allegations, the accused's position as a government teacher, and the alleged attempts to suppress the matter.