Pregnancy of four tribal girls in Bhubaneswar hostel rocks Odisha Assembly

The Odisha Assembly on Tuesday witnessed unruly scenes as Congress members created an uproar over the pregnancy of tribal girls in a government-run SC/ST residential school in Bhubaneswar. The House also saw a 10-minute adjournment.

Raising the issue, Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra asked Speaker Surya Narayan Patro to direct Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to ensure a fair probe into the incident. Mishra demanded the probe report to be tabled in the House by July 12.

"Had the incident happened in cities like Delhi or Mumbai, it would have shocked the entire nation," said the Congress leader.

"The girls have been sent back to their respective homes and the officials are trying to suppress the matter. Initial medical reports claimed that four girls have tested positive. Surprisingly, three of them tested negative in another check-up. An impartial and fair probe should be initiated," he said.

Deputy Leader of the BJP Legislature Party Bishnu Charan Sethi also demanded a reply from the Chief Minister on the issue. He alleged that 117 cases of exploitation of tribal girls in state hostels had already been registered.

Speaker Patro asked the minister concerned to make a statement on the issue in the House.