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A 17-year-old Class 9 student gave birth in a Yadgir school toilet. Police booked a 28-year-old man under POCSO for sexual assault.
While the newborn is reportedly in good health, the circumstances surrounding the case left both the local community and authorities in shock. (Representational)
In a shocking incident, a 17-year-old class 9 student of a government-run residential school in Karnataka’s Yadgir district gave birth to a baby boy in the school’s toilet, police said on Friday.
The incident took place earlier this week on August 27 at a school in Shahapur taluk of the district, when the Class 9 student went into labour during school hours. Her classmates, who reportedly witnessed her in distress, immediately alerted the school administration.
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The girl (aged 17 and seven months) and the newborn were soon taken to the hospital for treatment and are reportedly in good health.
According to the FIR, the girl, who used to stay in the hostel, was full-term pregnant and was “sexually assaulted” by an unidentified person about nine months ago. Initially, the girl, said to be under “immense stress,” refused to reveal details of the incident or the person involved.
She only told authorities that she developed stomach pain while in the washroom and delivered the baby there.
The incident of childbirth was not immediately reported by the school authorities, at the request of the victim’s brother, who was informed soon after the incident, according to the FIR.
During the investigation, the police identified the accused as a 28-year-old man. A senior officer said the girl will be counselled once she recovers and is declared fit by doctors, to ascertain what happened and whether she knew the accused.
Based on a complaint by the District Child Protection Officer, a case was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the accused.
Cases were also booked against four others—including the hostel warden, school principal, staff nurse and the victim’s brother—for failing to inform authorities about the girl’s pregnancy.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society (KREIS) suspended four employees of the school, including the principal and hostel warden, for alleged dereliction of duty and negligence in monitoring the students’ educational and health conditions.
(With inputs from PTI)
About the Author
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben…Read More
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben… Read More
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Yadgir, India, India
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