Jammu, Aug 29: Probe into the rape and subsequent death of a 15-year-old girl in Kishtwar district has been handed over to the Crime Branch, officials said on Saturday.
The teenager had been allegedly raped by her school teacher over several months. She died on August 20 during a pregnancy termination procedure.
Police have constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident and have so far arrested six persons, including the school headmaster, who is 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 from service.
The case transfer to the Crime Branch comes amid demands for a prompt and comprehensive investigation and strict action against the guilty.
Inspector General of Police, Crime Branch, Sarah Rizvi, confirmed that the agency had received communication from the Police Headquarters regarding the transfer of the case.
"We are in the process of taking over the case," she said.
It is likely that SSP Sanjay Kumar Parihar and DySP Javed Iqbal Chowdhary would head the Crime Branch investigation.
The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will hear on Monday a plea seeking a Crime Branch probe into the death of a 15-year-old tribal girl, who was allegedly sexually exploited by her school teacher.
The petition was filed on behalf of the girl’s father, a resident of Chatroo village in Kishtwar district, by senior advocate Deepika Pushkar Nath today.