A nurse in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar has been arrested in connection with the alleged rape of a 15-year-old tribal girl by a school teacher last week, bringing the total number of people detained in the case to six, an official said on Saturday.
Sonika, a nurse at Kishtwar district hospital, was apprehended on Friday following the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) under relevant provisions of the POCSO Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, a police spokesperson stated.
The minor girl was allegedly sexually assaulted repeatedly by her school teacher over several months, resulting in her pregnancy.
She died on August 20 following an alleged attempt to terminate the pregnancy in the Chatroo area, officials stated, adding that the government teacher and his brother were subsequently arrested.
The spokesperson noted that during an investigation by the special investigation team (SIT), it was uncovered that the teacher, in conspiracy with his brother, administered medication purportedly to terminate the pregnancy.
The accused initially took the girl to a public health centre in Chatroo. She was later transferred to the district hospital in Kishtwar, allegedly in connivance with a sweeper working at the facility, according to police.
She delivered a stillborn baby and subsequently passed away.
The spokesperson said that Sonika’s role in terminating the girl's pregnancy subsequently surfaced during the investigation, leading to her arrest, he said.
He said the SIT is continuing a thorough, scientific, impartial and evidence-based investigation into the circumstances leading to the minor's death and the role of every person found connected with the case.
Further arrests, wherever warranted by evidence, are being pursued, and strict legal action will be taken against all persons found involved in accordance with law, the spokesperson said.
Earlier on Thursday, one of the accused who works as a sanitation worker at Kishtwar district hospital was removed from service for his alleged role in the conspiracy to conceal information about the crime.
(With inputs from PTI)
