Srinagar: After district Child Welfare Committee (CWC) asked the police to register the rape case under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offence) and not Ranbir Penal Code, the accused in the rape of a minor girl in Bandipora has been booked under the Act.
Protests in Kashmir against the incident have continued with students clashing with police.
Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday shut down most educational institutions in the valley, fearing further spurts in violence as the protests took centre-stage after two consecutive rape incidents were reported in Bandipora and Ganderbal districts.
Colleges in Srinagar city, Baramulla, Sopore, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Anantnag, Kupwara, Badgam and other districts were ordered to remain shut.
The students of different educational institutions demanded justice to the victims and stern punishment to the accused as they clashed with the armed forces.
Students of Amar Singh (AS) College, Srinagar, carrying placards and banners, staged protests in the college campus. They have been demanding death penalty to the accused.
The POCSO Act calls for the designation of special courts to put offenders on trial.
The law also contains detailed guidelines on how to report a case of child sexual abuse as well as how the victim needs to be cared for and protected by special juvenile police unit or local police.
