After getting information about the pregnancy of a Class IX student in an upgraded Government high school in Malkangiri district, the district Collector suspended the hostel superintendent and recommended departmental action against the headmaster of the school for their failure to detect and report the case in time.
Collector Prashant Kumar Reddy said hostel superintendent Sabita Rani Sarkar has been suspended and action has been recommended against headmaster Prashanta Kumar Panda for dereliction of duty.
Sources said the school authorities had informed both District Education Officer (DEO) Manas Kumar Jena and Block Education Officer (BEO) Binod Singh about the pregnancy of the girl, but the latter did not report the matter.
Besides, a medical checkup had been conducted on the underage girl at the Malkangiri District Headquarters Hospital on February 21 in the presence of CDMO Uday Shankar Mishra, who too chose to remain quiet about it.
The absence of even a show-cause notice to these three officials has proved once again that it is always those on the lower rung of the chain who are made scapegoats in such cases.
Meanwhile, a three-member team of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), headed by its Chairperson Sanjukta Pradhan, on Sunday visited Kacheli village and talked to the girl and her parents.