Kishtwar: A nurse working at Kishtwar District Hospital has been arrested in connection with the alleged rape and subsequent death of a 15-year-old tribal girl, who was reportedly sexually assaulted by a schoolteacher, officials said on Saturday.
The nurse, identified as Sonika, was taken into custody on Friday after police filed an FIR invoking provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, a police spokesperson said.
With the arrest of Sonika, the number of people detained in the case has risen to six.
The girl was allegedly abused repeatedly by her teacher over a period of several months. She became pregnant as a result of the alleged sexual assault.
On August 20, she died after an alleged attempt to terminate the pregnancy in the Chatroo area, according to officials. The teacher and his brother were arrested following her death, as reported by The New Indian Express.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the case subsequently found that the teacher and his brother had allegedly acted together and given the girl medication intended to terminate the pregnancy, the spokesperson said.
The girl was first taken to a public health centre in Chatroo. She was later moved to Kishtwar District Hospital, allegedly with the assistance of a sweeper employed at the facility, police said.
She delivered a stillborn baby at the hospital and died subsequently.
The investigation later brought to light Sonika’s alleged involvement in the process of terminating the girl’s pregnancy, leading to her arrest, the spokesperson said.
Probe Into all Those Involved
The police spokesperson said the SIT was carrying out a “thorough, scientific, impartial and evidence-based investigation” into the events that preceded the minor’s death.
The team is examining the role of every person suspected to have been connected with the case, he said, adding that additional arrests would be made wherever supported by evidence.
“Strict legal action” would be taken against all those found involved in the case in accordance with the law, the spokesperson said.
The case came to light after the girl’s death following the alleged failed attempt to terminate her pregnancy. Police have alleged that the teacher, his brother and others were involved in efforts to conceal the crime and the circumstances surrounding it.
On Thursday, a sanitation worker Farooq Ahmed Sheikh posted at Kishtwar District Hospital was removed from service over his alleged role in the conspiracy to suppress information about the offence. The nurse was taken into custody following Sheikh’s testimony. He was arrested on Wednesday for helping the main accused Khalid Hussain and his brother, Tariq Hussain, in an alleged criminal conspiracy, as reported by ETV Bharat.
Further investigation is underway.