Malkangiri: In a shocking incident, a Class-10 tribal girl student of a government-run residential school for SC/ST students in Chitrakonda of Odisha's Malkangiri delivered a baby on Monday, prompting the local district administration to order an inquiry.
As per reports, the minor girl delivered a baby boy just hours after writing her annual matriculation examination paper. Both the mother and the newborn have been admitted to the Chitrakonda Community Health Center, and their condition is stated to be stable. However, they are likely to be shifted to the district headquarters hospital for further medical care.
Demanding accountability, the parents of the girl blamed the school authorities for alleged lapses in management. Chitrakonda Police, on the other hand, have launched a thorough investigation to ascertain how the student became pregnant and under what circumstances she delivered the child on the premises of the school.
Sources said, the girl student appeared for her matriculation examination at the designated center on Monday morning. She returned to the hostel with her classmates. In the evening, the hostel warden contacted the girl's father, who arrived to find that his daughter had already given birth to a baby. Shocked, he fumed, "How did such a big incident happen inside the school? Who made my daughter pregnant? The school authorities are responsible."
Asked about the incident, school headmaster Ajit Kumar Madkami feigned ignorance, and instead blamed the hostel warden and ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) for failing to monitor the girl’s health condition over the period. It is being said that the girl attended classes and appeared for the exams without the school authorities noticing her condition.
Meanwhile, senior BJD leader Pradeep Majhi strongly criticised the government, alleging that 'Ranga Bila Gundaraj' prevails in the region. "If those involved in this incident are not arrested and jailed, massive protests will be launched. The Tribal Unions will hit the streets and block highways in the coming days," warned Majhi.
