Odisha: Pregnant clerk loses baby after child welfare officer denies her leave

As the incident sparked an outrage, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida said the Child Development Project Officer was removed from her post.

In Short

• Government staffer claims she lost seven-month-old baby in womb
• Says she was inhumanly treated by child development officer
• Deputy Chief Minister says officer removed from post

A 26-year-old Odisha government employee claimed that she lost her seven-month-old baby in the womb after allegedly being denied leave to visit the hospital by the child development officer in Kendrapara district. Barsha Priyadarshini alleged that she was subject to inhumane treatment by Snehalata Sahoo, the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) in Derabis block.

As the incident sparked an outrage, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida said Sahoo was removed from her post. She also said that the incident would be investigated impartially and action would be taken after the report is received.

"I have been tortured by the CDPO for the last three years. The harassment increased after my pregnancy. Its impact had a direct effect on my child and resulted in death. I had to face lots of problems, but I was still working there," Priyadarshini said.

Priyadarshini claimed on the fateful day she experienced severe labour pain while working in the office. She then requested the CDPO, Snehalata Sahoo, and other staffers to take her to the hospital. However, the CDPO did not pay any heed to her requests for medical attention.

She then alerted her family members, who arrived at the office and rushed her to the hospital. However, doctors said the baby died in the womb by the time she arrived for treatment.

Devastated by her loss, Priyadarshini has lodged complaints with both the district collector and the Superintendent of Police, seeking strict action against the CDPO. The incident sparked outrage, especially after a video surfaced on social media, showing the woman in distress as the CDPO argued with her family.

Derabis BDO Anirudha Behera said the matter would be investigated, and a report would be sent to the higher authority.

Meanwhile, the CPDO has refuted the allegations and claimed that Priyadarshini never applied for leave, as per a media report. "I have never harassed her. She is lying. Her family misbehaved with me and they had kept the mobile phones ready to shoot the interaction. The video has been edited," she claimed.