An inquiry has been launched after a shocking incident where a Class 10 student gave birth to a baby girl inside the hostel of a state-run residential school in Odisha's Malkangiri district. The incident came to light on Monday when the girl, who had just returned to the hostel after appearing for her board examinations, went into labour.
Police confirmed the development on Tuesday, stating that investigations are underway to determine the circumstances leading to the incident. Meanwhile, the authorities are also looking into potential lapses in school administration and hostel supervision.
The headmaster of the school, run by the ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Class Welfare Department, said, "Men are not allowed in the girl's hostel...We do not know how she got pregnant. Health workers are supposed to conduct weekly check-ups of all students living in the hostel. This incident showed that the health worker was not doing her job," he said.
The girl and the baby were rushed to the sub-divisional hospital at Chitrakonda, and then shifted to the Malkangiri district headquarters hospital, officials said. Both the child and mother were stable, they said. The girl's parents sought to know from the school authorities how the pregnancy remained hidden till she went into labour. District Welfare Officer Srinivas Acharya said it is likely that the girl might have got pregnant when she went home during vacation. "A departmental inquiry has already started," he said, adding that a man suspected to have made her pregnant has been detained by the police.
(With PTI inputs)