Kishtwar Rape-Death Probe Goes To Crime Branch

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Srinagar- The probe into the alleged rape and subsequent death of a 15-year-old tribal girl in Kishtwar has been handed over to the Crime Branch, even as the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea seeking an independent investigation into the circumstances leading to her death.

The teenager was allegedly sexually exploited by her school teacher over several months, resulting in her pregnancy. She died on August 20 during a pregnancy termination procedure.

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Inspector General of Police, Crime Branch, Sarah Rizvi, confirmed that the agency had received communication from Police Headquarters regarding the transfer of the case.

“We are in the process of taking over the case,” she said.

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The case was initially being investigated by a Special Investigation Team constituted by the police. Six people have so far been arrested in connection with the case, including the alleged main accused, the school headmaster, and a nurse. A daily-wage sanitary worker posted at District Hospital Kishtwar has also been arrested, according to the plea.

The government has suspended the teacher, while the daily-wage worker has been dismissed from service.

The transfer to the Crime Branch comes amid demands for a comprehensive probe into not only the alleged sexual exploitation of the minor but also the sequence of events that preceded her death.

The High Court will hear on Monday a petition filed on behalf of the girl's father, a resident of Chatroo village in Kishtwar district, by senior advocate Deepika Pushkar Nath.

“The matter has been listed for hearing on Monday,” Nath said.

The petition had sought transfer of the investigation to the Crime Branch, besides an inquiry into the alleged intervention of a panchayat after the girl's pregnancy came to light and an alleged attempt to pressure her father into reaching a compromise.

Nath said the plea sought an independent investigation into the entire chain of events surrounding the minor's death.

“We have sought an independent investigation not only into the alleged rape of the minor but also into the entire chain of events that followed, leading to her death,” she said.

The alleged panchayat intervention has been highlighted as a key aspect of the petition. According to the plea, people allegedly associated with the principal accused became involved after the pregnancy came to light and a panchayat was convened.

The girl's father alleged that he was“chastised and pressured” to remain silent and accept a compromise, while money was allegedly offered to him in return.

He said he rejected the proposal and insisted that the accused and others be proceeded against in accordance with law.

The petition further alleged that the father was subsequently made to affix his thumb impression on a blank document under duress, without knowing its contents or intended use.

The plea has sought identification and examination of all those present at the alleged panchayat, an inquiry into the circumstances in which the document was prepared and the thumb impression obtained, besides examination of the alleged source and purpose of the money offered.

According to the petition, the girl's family came to know about her pregnancy only after she developed a serious medical condition.

The plea traces the subsequent events from her examination at the Public Health Centre in Chatroo and an ultrasound at Kishtwar to treatment at District Hospital Kishtwar, her transfer to Doda, the delivery of a dead male child and her subsequent transportation towards Punjab before her death on August 20.

The petition has sought a detailed probe into the alleged attempts to terminate the pregnancy, the procurement and administration of medicines, the role of people who transported or accompanied the girl, the treatment provided to her at different health facilities and the circumstances surrounding her death.

It has also sought preservation and examination of hospital records, ultrasound reports, medical prescriptions, ambulance records, GPS and location data, CCTV footage, call-detail records, electronic communications, financial records and forensic and DNA evidence.

The plea has further sought an inquiry into hospital records in which the minor was allegedly recorded as the wife of a 13-year-old boy, as well as identification of the person or persons who provided such information.

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It has also called for examination of possible administrative, institutional or statutory lapses concerning the girl's safety at school and the manner in which the matter was handled and reported after her pregnancy came to light.

The police had constituted the SIT after the girl's death, and the investigation has so far led to six arrests.

The proposed Crime Branch investigation will now cover the wider circumstances surrounding the case, including the allegations of an attempted compromise, the involvement of various persons and the medical events preceding the minor's death.

The development comes amid demands for a prompt and thorough investigation and strict action against all those found responsible.

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