13-year-old girl dies after alleged rape, pregnancy termination in Kishtwar; investigation underway

Police have registered an FIR and launched an investigation after the girl died while being taken to Jammu for further treatment

Activist alleges the girl was raped by her teacher and died after her condition deteriorated during an attempt to terminate her pregnancy 

Srinagar: A 13-year-old girl died after her condition deteriorated during an alleged attempt to terminate her six-month pregnancy in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, triggering protests and leading to the arrest of a government school teacher accused of raping her, according to an activist and police.

The girl, a student at a government school, was allegedly raped about six months ago by a teacher, Fatima Farooq, an activist and chairperson of a Block Development Council, told Free Press Kashmir.

Fatima said that the teacher, identified as Khalid Hussain, took the girl to District Hospital Kishtwar after learning about her pregnancy in an attempt to terminate it and conceal the alleged crime.

“The police said that rape has been established after confirmation from the autopsy report and the DNA of the fetus matched with the accused,” she said.

Naresh Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Kishtwar, confirmed that police had registered a case.

“An FIR has been registered and the case is under investigation,” Singh told Free Press Kashmir.

Free Press Kashmir could not independently verify the claims regarding the autopsy and DNA findings. Police did not immediately provide further details about those findings.

Fatima said the girl belonged to a Scheduled Tribe family and alleged that her parents were unaware of the pregnancy. She said the girl’s mother is physically challenged and her father works as a labourer.

“When the teacher, Khalid Hussain, who raped her, came to know about the pregnancy of the girl, he abducted her yesterday evening and took her to the hospital to terminate the pregnancy to hush up the matter,” Fatima told Free Press Kashmir over the phone.

She said the girl’s condition deteriorated during the medical procedure and doctors referred her to a hospital in Jammu for further treatment.

The girl died while being taken there, Fatima said.

“We don’t know how she died because when I saw her body, it bore multiple injuries,” she said, adding that she saw bruises on the girl’s neck, arms and back.

Fatima said the injuries had raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death and whether further investigation was needed to determine its cause.

The death sparked protests in the village on Friday, with residents demanding strict action against those responsible.

“She was just a child, and girls of her age have no idea about this act. We demand that the accused should be hanged in the middle of the road and the judiciary should show no mercy to him so that no one can dare to repeat such an act,” one protester said on condition of anonymity.

The protester also demanded that the case be handed over to the Crime Branch to ensure what he described as a fair and impartial investigation.

The Chief Education Officer has suspended the teacher, according to the protester and Fatima.

Fatima added that the police arrested the accused teacher and his brother following protests on Thursday night. Police did not immediately confirm details of the arrests or the role of the second person in the case.