The police have registered a case of rape (Representational)
A Class 9 student of a state-run residential school was eight months pregnant when she gave birth to a baby boy at a hospital in Karnataka's Chikkaballapura, the police said and filed a case of rape under the Indian Penal Code and POCSO.
The 14-year-old girl was staying at the hostel of a state-run residential school in the state's Tumakuru district. The matter came to light when she came to her home in the Bagepalli taluk and complained of stomach pain. Her parents took her to a hospital where after a scan, the doctors found she was pregnant, the police said.
The girl was admitted to the hospital and after a medical check-up and necessary tests, the doctors performed the delivery on January 9. The girl was underweight but she and her baby were stable, a senior police officer said.
The hospital authorities informed the police who then registered a case under section 376 (rape) of the IPC and other relevant Sections of the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Act, he said.
The girl was counselled by the Child Welfare Committee. During counselling, she told them she got pregnant by a boy - her senior in school. But, the boy denied it during questioning, the officer said.
"We have registered a case in the matter but have not made any arrests in connection with the incident yet. The girl and her parents are not saying anything. They are being counselled. The girl is not consistent with her statements. She also mentioned the name of another boy, again a senior in school. So, we are questioning all of them to find out who is responsible," the officer said.
Meanwhile, the Tumakuru district administration has suspended the hostel warden, the officials said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)