A government school headmaster allegedly raped a minor tribal girl student over several months, inducing a pregnancy that ended with her death after a failed abortion attempt and subsequent stillbirth, in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district.

Following the girl’s death late on Thursday night, protests broke out in her village and spread to different parts of the district by Friday morning.

The girl was pregnant for seven months and died on her way to Jammu where she was being ferried after her condition deteriorated following the stillbirth in another district of the region, protesters alleged.

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Police have arrested the accused headmaster and his brother who accompanied him while taking the girl to different districts for the abortion bid and the delivery, respectively.

Kishtwar SSP Naresh Singh said that an FIR has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and an investigation is underway.

The education department has initiated an enquiry and placed the headmaster under suspension.

Giving details, a local tribal leader from the girl’s village said the headmaster had been raping her for months.

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Accused had threatened girl’s parents

However, a fortnight ago, the girl complained of stomach pain and was taken to the local primary health centre where it emerged after a test that she was pregnant, said the local leader. The girl then informed her parents about the headmaster who, when called over, offered money and threatened them into remaining silent, he added.

The tribal leader said the girl’s father did not approach the police, fearing the stigma that it would bring to the family.

On Wednesday, the accused and his brother visited the girl’s family again and took her to a Kishtwar facility for abortion. The girl’s father and an uncle accompanied them in their vehicle, locals said.

Following a medical check-up, the girl was referred to a nearby town where efforts were made to induce child birth through surgery, locals added.

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It is not clear as to which health facilities the girl was taken to for the abortion bid and subsequent delivery.

Sources said that during the delivery, the girl’s condition deteriorated, and the accused and his brother decided to take her and her stillborn towards Jammu. By Thursday night, on the way, the girl breathed her last near Udhampur.

The accused then arranged a private ambulance to take both the bodies to the girl’s village. As the bodies arrived, villagers erupted in protest.

The next day, the town under which the girl’s village falls observed complete bandh. After Friday prayers, protests spread to several other parts of Kishtwar district, with protesters demanding judicial enquiry into the matter.

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The accused have been arrested under section 61(2) that deals with criminal conspiracy, section 65 (1) pertaining to rape on minor female, section 90 (death caused by act intended to cause miscarriage), and section 92 (causing death of an unborn child) of the BNS. Apart from these, both the accused have also been booked under sections 4, 6, 8, 10 and 17 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.