15-yr-old delivers baby at Odisha govt-run hostel, probe ordered

After the incident came to light, district welfare officer Srinivas Acharya ordered the suspension of the school headmaster Ajit Madkami and hostel auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) Kavita Patra

Published on: Feb 26, 2025, 07:20:13 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneswar: An inquiry was ordered after a 15-year-old girl at a state-run residential school for SC/ST students gave birth in her hostel on Monday, hours after appearing in her class 10 board examination in Malkangiri district of Odisha, police said on Tuesday.

15-yr-old delivers baby at Odisha govt-run hostel, probe ordered

After the incident came to light, district welfare officer Srinivas Acharya ordered the suspension of the school headmaster Ajit Madkami and hostel auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) Kavita Patra, and dismissed the hostel matron Suchitra Charchi.

According to officials, the incident came to light after the girl, who wrote the English paper exam in the morning, could not be found during the evening prayers at the school hostel in Chitrakonda area. Upon searching, she was found on the terrace of the hostel building having already delivered a baby girl. The teenage and the newborn were rushed to the sub-divisional hospital, from where they were shifted to Malkangiri district headquarters hospital, where both are stated to be stable, officials added.

The district welfare officer said it is likely that the girl — who stayed in the ashram school run by the state’s Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes welfare department— might have got pregnant when she went home during vacation. “A departmental inquiry has already started,” Acharya said, adding that a man suspected to have made her pregnant has been detained by the police.

Sub-divisional police officer Pradosh Pradhan confirmed that a 22-year-old man from a village neighbouring the girl’s native village has been detained and a case has been registered in the incident. “We will arrest the accused soon. A case of rape under section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the Pocso (Protection of children from sexual offences) Act has been registered against the accused,” Pradhan added.

The school authorities said they were not aware of the girl’s pregnancy, with the headmaster holding the hostel matron and the auxiliary nurse midwife, who conducted weekly check-ups of all students in the hostel, responsible.

“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,” headmaster Madkami told reporters.

The girl’s father said that a teacher from the school called him on Monday evening. “When I reached the school, I was told that she has delivered a baby. My daughter stayed in the hostel and did not visit home for a long time. An ANM regularly conducts health check-up of girl students in hostel. How did anyone miss signs of pregnancy?” he asked.

Over 158,000 girls are enrolled in various residential schools run by the SC/ST welfare department in the eastern state.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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