Tribal girl raped by headmistress' husband at Odisha

A class VII student of a state-run residential school in Odisha's Koraput district was allegedly raped for months by the headmistress' husband, who has been arrested after the tribal girl was found to be three-month pregnant, police said on Saturday.

The 60-year-old man who used to stay with his wife at the staff quarters of the school, meant for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes students, was arrested on Friday.

He used to call the girl to the staff quarters and sexually exploited her a number of times, said Varun Guntupalli, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Jeypore.

The accused had also sought permission from her parents to take her home during the summer vacation and when she visited, he raped her number of times, the officer said.

"However, the wife of the accused was unaware of the happenings," Guntupalli said, adding that the man has confessed to the crimes.

He has been booked under relevant sections of the IPC, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, police said.

District child protection officer Rajshree Das said the girl will be kept at a child care institution after medical examination.

District welfare officer Madhusmita Mohapatra said, "Departmental action will also be taken against the headmistress as there is a circular requiring her not to keep any male member in the government quarter."