JEYPORE: A pregnant aanganwadi worker was verbally abused and asked to play the traditional game of ‘Puchi Khela’ as a punishment by a supervisor of Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) in Koraput district over a trivial issue on Wednesday.
The incident came to fore on Thursday when the victim Laxmi Tarkri filed a complaint against Umuri ICDS supervisor Usharani Mishra at the office of Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) in Jeypore.
Usharani had gone to the mini aanganwadi centre at Souraguda Harijan street where Laxmi was teaching toddlers on the verandah.
After supervising the works there, Usharani asked Laxmi to call her husband to take her to other aanganwadi centres in the area.
When Laxmi told her that he had gone out for work, an irate Usharani started verbally abusing her and passed comments on her caste and educational qualification.
The supervisor also asked her to play several rounds of Puchi Khela that involves squatting and jumping as punishment. The traditional game is a part of the pre-school activities in aanganwadi centres.
Laxmi told her that she is pregnant and cannot play the game which infuriated Usharani further and she continued verbally abusing her.
Hearing her scream, locals rushed to the aanganwadi centre and asked the supervisor to stop misbehaving with the pregnant woman.
Usharani then left the school threatening the aanganwadi worker of initiating departmental action against her.
The five-months pregnant Laxmi took ill after the incident and was admitted to District Headquarters Hospital.
Apparently, Ushrani has been in the past accused of misbehaving and harassing anganwadi workers.
She was recently transferred from Nandapur to Jeypore ICDS after allegations of harassment were levelled against her by anganwadi workers.
Four days back, 21 anganwadi workers of Umuri had submitted a memorandum demanding action against her to the District Social Welfare Officer.
CDPO Pravati Tripathy said action will be taken against Usharani if allegations are found to be true.