by Asif Iqbal
SRINAGAR: Almost a month after the prime acused, Khalid Hussain was dismissed, the Jammu and Kashmir School Education Department has suspended another government teacher in connection with the Chatroo minor death case.
Abdul Latief Banday, a Teacher Grade-II posted at Middle School Mehjar in the Inderwal zone of Kishtwar, was placed under suspension by the Chief Education Officer (CEO), Kishtwar, on October 8, following his arrest by the Special Crime Wing of the Crime Branch, Jammu, on October 6.
According to the suspension order, Banday was arrested in connection with FIR No. 27/2026 registered at Police Station SCW, Crime Branch, Jammu. The order invokes Rule 31 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956, and states that the suspension will remain in force pending further enquiry and orders from the competent authority.
The action follows the dismissal of Khalid Hussain Sheikh, a Grade-II teacher who was officiating as headmaster at Government Middle School Bumalpora in the Inderwal zone. The School Education Department dismissed him through Government Order No. 3880-JK(Edu) of 2026, issued on September 21.
Sheikh was dismissed under Article 311(2)(b) of the Constitution of India, read with Rule 30(viii) of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956. The government cited the gravity of the allegations and held that conducting a regular departmental inquiry was not reasonably practicable under the circumstances. The order also made him ineligible for future government employment.
Sheikh was arrested in August after the case came to light following the death of a minor girl from the Chatroo area. His brother, Tariq Hussain Sheikh, was also among the first persons arrested in the case. The allegations include the sexual exploitation of the minor and the alleged involvement of the accused in events surrounding her pregnancy and the medical complications that preceded her death.
The case was initially registered as FIR No. 34/2026 at Police Station Chatroo before being transferred to the Crime Branch, Jammu, where a fresh FIR was registered at Police Station SCW.
The investigation has since expanded, with several people arrested as investigators examine their alleged roles at different stages of the case, including the discovery of the pregnancy, medical treatment, transportation of the victim and the circumstances leading to her death.
The arrest of Banday marks another development in the investigation. His alleged role remains under examination, and no finding of criminal guilt against him has been established by a court.
Investigators have collected medical records from health facilities, recorded witness statements and examined documentary and electronic evidence. Biological samples and viscera have also been preserved for forensic examination and DNA profiling.
Establishing the biological parentage of the newborn boy delivered during the events preceding the minor’s death remains a crucial aspect of the investigation, with forensic findings awaited, according to previous court-related reporting.
The case has triggered widespread public outrage in Kishtwar, particularly in the Chatroo area, where demands have mounted for accountability and a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death.
The dismissal of Sheikh and the suspension of Banday are separate administrative actions taken at different stages of the case. While Sheikh has been removed from government service, Banday’s suspension remains subject to further enquiry and orders from the competent authority.
The investigation is continuing, and the precise role of each accused will be determined through the legal process. Arrest or suspension does not, by itself, establish criminal guilt.
