J&K HC To Hear On Monday Plea Seeking Crime Branch Probe Into Minor’s Rape, Death In Kishtwar

Jammu, Aug 29: The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will hear on Monday a plea seeking transfer of the investigation into the alleged rape and subsequent death of a 15-year-old tribal girl in Kishtwar to the Crime Branch.

The petition was filed on behalf of the girl’s father, a resident of Chatroo village, by senior advocate Deepika Pushkar Nath on Saturday. The plea seeks an independent probe into the entire sequence of events preceding the minor’s death on August 20, including allegations of a panchayat intervention and pressure on her father to reach a compromise.

Police have already constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and arrested six persons, including the school headmaster, identified as the main accused, a nurse and a daily-wage sanitary worker posted at District Hospital Kishtwar. The Government has suspended the teacher, while the daily-wage worker has been dismissed.

Nath said the petition seeks investigation not only into the alleged sexual exploitation but also into the circumstances that followed the minor’s pregnancy and ultimately led to her death.

According to the plea, the girl was allegedly sexually exploited by the principal accused over several months, resulting in her pregnancy. It alleged that after the pregnancy came to light, a panchayat was convened where the girl’s father was allegedly pressured to remain silent and accept a compromise, with money purportedly offered to him.

The petition further seeks investigation into the alleged attempts to terminate the pregnancy, medicines administered to the minor, her treatment at different health facilities, transportation arrangements and circumstances surrounding her death.

It also seeks preservation and examination of hospital records, ultrasound reports, prescriptions, ambulance and GPS data, CCTV footage, call records, electronic communications, financial records and forensic evidence.

The plea has additionally sought scrutiny of alleged discrepancies in hospital records, including the recording of the minor as the wife of a 13-year-old boy, besides examination of possible administrative and institutional lapses concerning her safety and the handling of the case. (Agencies)