RAIPUR: The alleged pregnancy of three minor tribal girls in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district turned into the burning issue in the state assembly on Monday, with opposition Congress moving an adjournment motion claiming the girls were residents of a govt-run portacabin hostel, while the govt rejected the charge, with school education minister Gajendra Yadav telling the House that the girls were not studying or residing in the portacabin (residential hostel). Congress alleged that the govt was attempting to suppress the matter and there was no person held accountable in the case yet. When the Chair disallowed the adjournment motion, opposition members staged a walkout from the House.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, the opposition sought suspension of listed business to allow an immediate discussion, calling the matter one of grave concern involving the safety of tribal girls in a sensitive scheduled area. The adjournment notice alleged that after the pregnancies came to light, the girls were sent home and efforts were made to portray them as absent from the hostel, instead of initiating criminal action against those responsible.
Former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel said incidents involving minor girls, particularly tribal students in Bastar, had been surfacing for years and alleged that no effective action had been taken against the guilty. He described it as a serious failure of protection in govt-run residential institutions.
Congress MLA Vikram Mandavi said one of the girls was a Class 11 student and two Class 12 students, and questioned why no action had been taken so far. Umesh Patel alleged that, according to information available to the opposition, two of the girls had been driven out of the hostel and that officials were trying to hush up the matter.
Other opposition members joined in, describing the issue as deeply disturbing. Leader of opposition Charandas Mahant, Kawasi Lakhma and Anila Bhediya said attempts were often made to shield officials instead of lodging FIRs in such cases.
Responding to the charge, school education minister Gajendra Yadav rejected the opposition’s allegations as “baseless” and said no accused person was being protected.
He told the House that the three girls referred to by the opposition were not currently studying in the portacabin hostel. He said, two of them were neither residing in nor studying at that hostel and were enrolled instead in Swami Atmanand School while the third girl, he said, had earlier stayed in the hostel but had been absent for nearly five months and had not been expelled.
The minister said the matter had been examined after reports appeared in sections of the media and maintained that the news was misleading, baseless and factually incorrect. He added that portacabins function under the supervision of district collectors and remained under administrative watch. At the same time, he said the matter was serious and suspicious in nature, and that an inquiry was underway on the instructions of the collector. Action would be taken against anyone found guilty; he told the House.
The opposition, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the minister’s reply, alleging the govt was downplaying a grave matter concerning tribal girls. When the Chair disallowed the adjournment motion, opposition members staged a walkout from the House.
