A 15-year-old girl has died in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, India, after allegedly being repeatedly sexually assaulted by a school teacher, resulting in pregnancy and a subsequent failed attempt to terminate the pregnancy.

The incident, which occurred in the Inderwal area, has sparked protests across Chatroo and other parts of Kishtwar, with residents demanding a thorough investigation and severe punishment for those found responsible.

Police have arrested the accused teacher, identified as Khalid Ahmed Sheikh, a Grade-II teacher and acting headmaster of Middle School Bumalpora, along with his brother. The teacher has also been suspended by the education authorities following the allegations.

According to police and local sources, the teenager had been pregnant for several months. She reportedly informed her parents that the teacher had repeatedly sexually assaulted her after a medical examination revealed her pregnancy.

On Wednesday, the accused and his brother allegedly took the girl to a health facility for an abortion. She was subsequently referred to another facility, where doctors reportedly attempted to induce delivery through surgery. The girl delivered a stillborn baby, but her condition deteriorated and she later died while being taken towards Jammu for further medical care.

Authorities have opened a case under several provisions of India's Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Following the girl's death, residents staged demonstrations and observed a shutdown in the Chatroo area. Protesters are demanding a judicial inquiry and strict action against everyone found to have played a role in the incident.

The police investigation is ongoing, while authorities are yet to disclose the names of the medical facilities involved or provide a full account of the medical treatment that preceded the teenager's death.