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| Chatroo horror: Govt sacks accused headmaster | | | Atul Sharma
Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 21: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has dismissed a government school teacher accused in the alleged rape and murder of a minor student in Kishtwar district, barely a month after his arrest in a case that sparked widespread outrage across the region.
According to an order issued by the School Education Department, Khalid Hussain, a Grade-II teacher posted at Government Middle School Bumalpora, Gurinalla, in Inderwal zone of Kishtwar district, has been removed from service under Article 311(2)(b) of the Constitution of India.
The dismissal was ordered through Government Order No. 3880-JK(Edu) of 2026, issued on September 21 and signed by Commissioner/Secretary, School Education Department, Ram Niwas Sharma.
The government said Hussain was facing serious criminal charges in connection with FIR No. 34/2026 registered at Police Station Chatroo under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
After examining the material available on record, the competent authority concluded that the allegations warranted the imposition of a major penalty. Invoking Article 311(2)(b) and Rule 30(viii) of the J&K Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956, the government held that conducting a departmental inquiry was not reasonably practicable and termed the matter among the “rarest of rare cases”.
The dismissal order also renders Hussain ineligible for future government employment.
The action comes amid an ongoing investigation into allegations that the teacher repeatedly sexually assaulted a 14-year-old student of the school, resulting in her pregnancy. The victim, a Class 5 student from a financially weaker family in the Chatroo area of Kishtwar, later died, allegedly after being administered abortion-inducing medication.
According to the FIR, Hussain, who was serving as the officiating headmaster of the school, allegedly attempted to conceal the pregnancy after it came to light. Police have alleged that he threatened the girl’s family and offered money in an effort to suppress the matter.
Investigators further claim that Hussain, along with his brother Tariq Hussain, forced abortion-inducing medicine on the minor, resulting in her death and the delivery of a stillborn child. Both accused have been arrested.
Police have registered the case under various provisions of the BNS relating to criminal conspiracy, aggravated rape of a minor and offences linked to causing death during an attempt to induce miscarriage, besides several sections of the POCSO Act dealing with aggravated sexual assault and abetment.
The allegations remain under investigation and are yet to be tested before a court of law.
The case triggered massive public outrage in Chatroo, where protests and a shutdown were observed following the girl’s death. Residents demanded stringent punishment for those responsible and raised concerns over how the alleged abuse of a school-going child went undetected for months.
Investigators have collected biological samples and other evidence as part of the probe, while post-mortem and forensic examinations are expected to play a crucial role in establishing the sequence of events and strengthening the prosecution’s case. |
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