Teachers held for making Orissa girls pregnant

The headmaster and a teacher of a residential school in Orissa’s Nabarangpur district were sexually exploiting four girl students from backward communities for the past several months.

The girls were students of class VII and VIII. The matter came to light when two of the students showed pregnancy symptoms. The duo was arrested after agitated parents thronged the school on Wednesday, demanding action against the culprits.

The girls were staying at Boda-Amada Sevashrama School under Koshamguda block, nearly 400 km from the state capital. The school comes under the jurisdiction of the Orissa government’s SC and ST welfare department.

Besides the main accused, a man who cooked mid-day meal in the school was also arrested for his involvement in the shameful incident.

The district administration has suspended the two teachers. Orissa schools and mass education minister Pratap Jena has asked the district collector to conduct an inquiry and submit a
report.

The state SC and ST department has also initiated its own inquiry into the incident. All the girls have been sent to a hospital for treatment.