NHRC Seeks Report From Centre, State On Minor Student Getting Pregnant In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought detailed report from the Centre and Odisha regarding a minor girl student getting pregnant in a residential school in Malkangiri district.

The Commission has directed the secretary of the ministry of tribal affairs (MoTA) and Malkangiri district collector to submit detailed enquiry report along with the present status of the pregnant girl. The incident had happened in July, last year.

The NHRC issued direction after hearing a petition filed by human rights activist and lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy who cited two incidents of minor girls getting pregnant in Odisha last year.

In one case, the Odisha government submitted an inquiry report in on the death of a Class VII girl student at a state-run residential school in Kandhamal district, while it was silent about the second incident in its report.

The rights panel in its direction said a Class X girl student of a Centre-run school in Malkangiri was found pregnant in July last year. The family members blamed the school management for this. They claimed that a boy who used to visit the girl at the school had developed a physical relationship with her.

Terming the allegations as serious, the Commission asked MoTA secretary and the Malkangiri collector to submit a detailed enquiry report on the matter within six weeks.

It also asked them to mention in the report the present status of the girl, lawful action in the matter of a minor girl becoming pregnant, care and protection provided by the school and payment of compensation.

Regarding the other case reported from Kandhamal, the Commission found no reason to intervene further. The state government submitted a detailed report in this regard in December, last year. The report has stated that the government has taken action against the accused in connection with the death of a pregnant girl.

While a minor boy was presented before the juvenile justice (JJ) board for impregnating a girl, compensation of Rs 1.5 lakh has been paid to the next of kin of the deceased girl. The government has initiated disciplinary action against the delinquent officials, the sources added.