SRINAGAR: A 12-year-old schoolgirl from the Chatroo area of Kishtwar died while being taken for medical treatment following the discovery of her pregnancy, triggering protests and a shutdown in the area and prompting police to arrest a government school headmaster and his brother.
The girl, a student of Class 5 at a government middle school, belonged to the Gurinalla area of Chatroo. Police have registered FIR No. 34/2026 at Police Station Chatroo and initiated an investigation into the circumstances leading to her pregnancy and death.
The case has also raised serious questions over how a minor child could have remained pregnant for months without the matter coming to the notice of her family, school or authorities.
According to people familiar with the sequence of events, the girl complained of fever around 10 days ago. Her mother took her to a local practitioner in Chatroo, where an examination reportedly revealed that she was pregnant. The family then began taking her to medical facilities for treatment and termination of the pregnancy.
She was first taken to Kishtwar and subsequently referred towards Doda. When her condition deteriorated, the family continued towards Jammu, but she died at Batote.
There are differing accounts about the duration of the pregnancy. Some local residents have claimed that she was seven to eight months pregnant, while other accounts put the pregnancy at around four months. The exact gestational age is expected to be established through medical and forensic examination.
Police have alleged in the FIR that the girl was subjected to sexual assault by her school headmaster, identified as Khalid Hussain, son of Ghulam Mohammad, of Gurinalla, Chatroo. His brother, Tariq Hussain, has also been named as an accused.
The allegations are yet to be established in court.
The FIR further alleges that attempts were made to suppress the matter and that medication was administered to terminate the pregnancy. Police have collected biological samples and other material during medico-legal proceedings, while a post-mortem examination was conducted at District Hospital Kishtwar.
The case has been registered under Sections 61(2), 65(1), 90, 91 and 92 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, besides Sections 4, 6, 8, 10 and 17 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
Police have arrested both accused persons and said further investigation is underway.
The girl’s family has said they were unaware of the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy. Her father has reportedly maintained that the family did not know what had happened to the child until the pregnancy was discovered.
The family has two children, a boy and the girl.
Residents, however, have alleged that the teacher had previously harassed the family and are demanding that the circumstances leading to the girl’s pregnancy and death be thoroughly investigated. These allegations have not yet been independently established.
The incident has triggered widespread anger in Chatroo. Residents have taken to the streets demanding justice for the girl, while shops and business establishments have remained closed in protest.
The girl’s death has also intensified public scrutiny of the protection available to children in remote areas, particularly those studying in government schools, and whether warning signs of abuse are being detected and acted upon in time.
With the police investigation now underway, the key questions include what happened to the child before her pregnancy was discovered, when the alleged abuse began, who knew about it, and what led to the decision to move her between Kishtwar, Doda and eventually towards Jammu.
