Odisha CDPO Removed For ‘Harassment’ Of Pregnant Woman Staffer

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday removed Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) Snehalata Sahoo from her post in Kendrapada’s Derabish block to ensure an impartial probe into an alleged harassment allegation against her.

This came a day after a 26-year-old woman, Barsha Priyadarshini Mohapatra, claimed that she lost her child in the womb after allegedly being denied leave while experiencing severe labour pain at her office. She was posted as junior revenue assistant of ICDS project at the office of the CDPO.

Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Pardida had earlier directed Kendrapada Collector Smruti Ranjan Pradhan to probe the matter and submit a report at the earliest. “The district collector has been directed to conduct an independent and speedy investigation. Action will be taken after the report is received,” she mentioned in a post on X.

The CDPO allegedly declined her leave plea when Barsha, who was in her seventh month of pregnancy, felt intense pain at work. She alleged that Sahoo disregarded her requests for hospital assistance and treated her poorly. Barsha’s relatives later took her to a private hospital in Kendrapada, where an ultrasound revealed that her baby had died.

Her family members alleged the baby died due to negligence of the CDPO, who refuted the allegations.

Barsha has also submitted a formal complaint to the district collector, attributing her loss to “mental harassment and gross negligence” of the CDPO while demanding strict disciplinary measures against her.