Hostel Pregnancy Case Rocks Odisha Assembly

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly on Tuesday was adjourned for 10 minutes following an uproar by Opposition Congress members over the residential school pregnancy case in the state capital.

Raising the issue during zero hour, leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Narasingha Mishra urged the Speaker, Surya Narayan Patro, to direct the Chief Minister to order an impartial probe into the incident. The Congress leader further demanded that the probe should be completed by July 12 and the report must be tabled in the House.

Alleging that the state government was trying to suppress the matter, Mishra said the victim, who was staying in the residential school hostel, has been sent to her home.

Referring to the incident, the CLP leader said the preliminary report had found pregnancy tests to be positive, but three were later found to be negative. “Had this incident taken place in Delhi or Mumbai, it would have evoked a countrywide reaction,” he added.

Speaking about the atrocities on women and girls in Odisha, Mishra said while the state reports around seven rapes every day, only nine accused are punished in a year.

The Speaker later asked the government to pursue the matter seriously and directed the minister concerned to furnish a reply in the Assembly.