JAMMU, Aug. 30 -- The Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested a staff nurse from Kishtwar District Hospital for her alleged role in the illegal termination of a 7-to-8-month pregnancy of a 14-year-old tribal girl, who delivered a stillborn baby and subsequently died on August 20. The arrested accused has been identified as Sonika. Following her arrest, the J&K lieutenant governor, Manoj Sinha, on Saturday handed over the investigation to the crime branch for a speedy inquiry followed by a fair trial through a fast-track court, said people familiar with the development. Sarah Rizvi, inspector general of the crime branch, confirmed that orders have been issued to take over the probe from the J&K police. According to investigators, the victim was repeatedly sexually assaulted over several months by her school teacher, Khalid Hussain Sheikh, 42, resulting in her advanced pregnancy. The prime accused then connived with his brothers, Tariq Hussain and Riaz Hussain, and another person Mohammad Isaq of Sheikhupura for the illegal termination of the minor girl's pregnancy. When complications arose, the accused took the girl to a Public Health Centre in Chatroo. She was later shifted to Kishtwar District Hospital with the assistance of two hospital insiders: staff nurse Sonika and Farooq Ahmed, a sweeper at the facility. The victim was forced to ingest oral medications that caused her death on August 20, after she had delivered a stillborn child. Farooq Ahmed was terminated from his service on Thursday for conspiring to conceal information about the crime. Sonika's direct role in the botched termination procedure surfaced during subsequent interrogations, leading to her arrest. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the police has so far arrested six persons in connection with the case, including the alleged rapist teacher and a nurse. Sonika's arrest was made under FIR No. 34/2026 at Chatroo police station, incorporating charges under the POCSO Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. "During investigation, material surfaced regarding the alleged sexual exploitation of the minor, her pregnancy, attempts to terminate the pregnancy, and the involvement of multiple persons, including those connected with her medical treatment," the police statement said. The public outrage has mounted in the region. Local residents urged the authorities to expedite the chargesheet and send the matter to a fast-track court for prompt justice. Meanwhile, advocate Deepika Pushkar Nath had also moved the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh seeking a crime branch probe into the rape and death of the tribal girl. The petition was filed on behalf of the girl's father, a resident of Chatroo village in Kishtwar district. "The matter has been listed for hearing on Monday. Let the authorities say it on record that the probe has been handed over to the crime branch. We will also seek speedy probe followed by a fair trial via a fast track court under direct monitoring of the high court," Nath said. She said her plea also seeks alleged panchayat intervention and attempt to pressure victim's father for a compromise. "We have sought an independent investigation not only into the alleged rape of the minor but also into the entire chain of events that followed, leading to her death. The alleged panchayat intervention, the pressure exerted on the victim's father to compromise the matter, and the role of other persons who may have facilitated or attempted to suppress the case require thorough investigation," Nath said. "The victim's impoverished and illiterate father was pressured to compromise the matter, offered money to remain silent and allegedly made to put his thumb impression in duress on a blank paper," she said. "These allegations cannot be treated as an isolated or incidental episode, particularly when they arose after the minor's pregnancy came to light," she said....