Schoolgirl’s death sparks outrage, Omar orders fast-track probe

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday directed the School Education Department to complete within a month its inquiry into the alleged sexual assault of a minor schoolgirl in Kishtwar, stressing that the investigation must be thorough, time-bound and culminate in stringent and exemplary action.

Officials said that Omar Abdullah directed the School Education Department to complete its inquiry into the heinous incident in Kishtwar involving a young schoolgirl on an expeditious basis, so that stringent and exemplary action can be ensured in the matter.

The Chief Minister directed the concerned authorities to complete the inquiry within one month and take all necessary steps to bring the investigation to its logical conclusion.

He stressed the need for a thorough and time-bound inquiry, underscoring that the matter must be dealt with firmly and that appropriate action be taken based on the findings of the inquiry.

The heinous incident came to light recently in which 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’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 reportedly 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.