Post News Network
Jeypore/Koraput, March 7: Even as people in the state are yet to come out of utter shock and disbelief after a few cases of students being forced with or cajoled into motherhood were reported, two Class VIII girls have reportedly given birth to babies in Koraput district.
In the first incident, a Class VIII student of Kandulbedha Ashram School delivered a baby boy while she was being taken to a hospital at Jeypore by her relatives Thursday.
The girl’s family lodged a complaint with the police. Meanwhile, Koraput district collector Yamini Sarangi directed district welfare officer (DWO) S Trinath Rao and district child protection officer (DCPO) Rajashree Dash to probe the incident Saturday.
The newborn died on the way to hospital. The officials, who visited Jeypore sub-divisional hospital, found the girl in critical condition.
The girl had gone to her house during vacation in December last year. She, however, did not return to school. She had gone to a river bank near her house Thursday evening where she is reported to have lost her consciousness. She was rushed to Boipariguda community health centre (CHC) in an ambulance wherein she gave birth to a baby. As the newborn died after a few minutes, the body was sent to the CHC for post-mortem.
In the complaint lodged with the police, the girl’s family blamed a school mate of Damanjodi area, to have impregnated the girl.
When contacted, Boipariguda IIC Ashok Mohapatra said no student from Damanjodi area studied in the school. DWO Rao and DCPO Dash also reiterated the same.
Meanwhile, locals alleged that the girl is being pressurised to not disclose the name of the accused.
In the second incident, another Class-VIII girl of Kasturba Gandhi High School in Koraput delivered a girl child February 27. The incident was allegedly suppressed by the district education department.
Neither the police nor the top officials of the department were informed about the incident.
The girl’s guardians lodged a complaint at Nandapur police station Friday as the accused refused to accept the newborn.
Police arrested the accused from Kumuli under Borigumma block and produced him in a court.
Meanwhile, the collector suspended then headmaster Bibhuti Satpathy and issued a show cause notice to hostel warden Ranu Behera.
According to sources, the girl’s guardians came to the school January 12 and requested the HM to grant her leave on the pretext of her mother’s illness.
The girl was admitted to the district headquarters hospital February 26 after her labour pain started. She delivered a baby girl the next day.
