Preliminary medical examination of a youth accused of raping a three-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district has shown that he is not a juvenile, police said Monday.
"We are treating the accused as a major and not as a juvenile," a senior police official told PTI.
He said the preliminary medical examination of the accused, who has been arrested by the police, suggests that he is an adult.
"The doctors have given an opinion that he is around 20-years-old," the official said.
He said the police have also detained the principal of a school, who issued a birth certificate for the accused showing his date of birth as 23 July, 2009.
"The principal is under the custody and is being questioned," the official said.
More From This Section
He said the police are investigating the case and will take it to the logical conclusion.
Meanwhile, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Baseer Ahmad Khan has said the inquiry into the incident is being conducted on a fast-track basis and will be concluded very soon.
Khan said justice will be done in the case and the culprit will be given severe punishment as per law. He appealed to the people to maintain peace, brotherhood and law and order.
Anybody having grievances regarding the incident can personally contact him immediately, Khan said.