RAIPUR: A senior official of SC & ST Development Department has been suspended for allegedly misleading the government in the case of a minor tribal girl's pregnancy and subsequent delivery at a state-run hostel in Chhattisgarh's Koriya district.
The state government yesterday suspended SC and ST Development Department Assistant Commissioner (in-charge) of in Koriya, A K Gadewal, with immediate effect, an official release said here today.
"Gadewal is accused of misleading the government about the case of pregnancy and delivery of a student enrolled at Tribal Pre-Matric Girls Hostel in Ramgarh village under Koriya's Sonhat development block," the release said.
The suspended official was also holding an administrative post in Integrated Tribal Development Project.
"In his letter to government (dated January 22, 2015), Gadewal had termed the incident as false and baseless, whereas in Koriya District Collector's letter to the government (dated January 29, 2015), the incident has been informed to be true," it said.
Taking a serious note of the case, state Tribal Welfare Minister Kedar Kashyap had directed to take action against the official, it added.
During the suspension period, Gadewal will be attached with the SC and ST Development Department's Commissioner Office (Indravati Bhavan) at Naya Raipur.
Assistant Commissioner at Raipur's Departmental Commissioner Office, J R Rathiya, will be deputed in his place at Koriya.
Eight persons, including hostel superintendent Kiran Kispotta and her husband, were earlier arrested in connection with the killing of a newborn baby girl delivered by a 17-year-old tribal girl at the government-run hostel in Ramgarh last month.
As per the investigation, the minor girl got pregnant after she was allegedly raped last year by a 23-year-old youth, Anil, from her native village Salgaon.
After the girl delivered the baby at the hostel on January 2, Kispotta allegedly strangulated the infant to death to cover up the matter, a police official had earlier said.
Later, Kispotta went to Salgaon Khurd village and informed both Anil and the girl's family members about the matter following which they buried the infant's body near a river on the village outskirts.
On getting information about the offence, the buried body of the newborn was exhumed and eight persons were arrested in this connection, police said.