House uproar: Oppn alleges admn downplaying pregnancy of three minor tribal schoolgirls

Raipur: The issue of alleged pregnancy of three minor tribal schoolgirls in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district led to an uproar in the state assembly on Monday after the opposition Congress moved an adjournment motion claiming the girls were residents of a govt-run portacabin hostel, a charge the govt rejected. Later, the opposition staged a walk out of the House after the chair disallowed the motion.School education minister Gajendra Yadav told the House the girls were not studying or residing in the portacabin (residential hostel). Responding to the allegations, he rejected them as "baseless" and said no accused person was being protected.Congress alleged the govt was attempting to downplay the matter and said no one had been held accountable so far. 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 it a matter of grave concern involving the safety of tribal girls in a sensitive scheduled area. The notice for adjournment motion alleged that after the pregnancies came to light, the girls were sent home and efforts were made to show them as absent from the hostel on records, 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 no effective action had been taken against the guilty. He described it as a serious failure of protection in government-run residential institutions.Congress MLA Vikram Mandavi said one of the girls was a Class 11 student and two were Class 12 students, and questioned why no action had been taken so far.