Odisha doctor arrested for allegedly performing illegal abortion on minor

Odisha: A government doctor has been placed under arrest by the Orissa Crime Branch due to his alleged involvement in the rape and abortion case of a minor tribal girl in Sundargardgh district.

According to the recent media report, the doctor conducted an operation for illegal termination of pregnancy of the teenager at Birmitrapur Community Health Centre on 15th June. This is the second arrest conducted in connection with the case wherein the minor girl became pregnant after she was repeatedly raped for over four months by the now-dismissed cop at Biramitrapur police station and four others.

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The accused doctor is identified as a government doctor who works in the Birmitrapur community health centre. Previously, it was reported that a tribal girl was going to visit a fair at Biramitrapur area on March 25th; however, due to lockdown, the fair got cancelled. She was roaming near the bus stand when the police patrolling theme spotted her and took her to the police station for safekeeping.

The inspector in charge along with four others took her on the top floor of the police station and allegedly raped the teenager. She was dropped at her home the next day. The police station kept calling her and raping her for the next four months. When the minor became pregnant the cop allegedly took her to terminate the pregnancy, ANI had reported.

The accused doctor allegedly conducted the illegal abortion procedure on the girl at Birmitrapur CHC. After that, the incident came to light and the Sundargarh district Child Protection Officer (DCPO) S Jena registered a case against the accused on June 23. The DGP started a probe against the officer and later the probe was transferred to the Odisha Crime Branch team.

Following the investigation, the inspector in charge was dismissed from his service and was absconding, however, he was arrested last Wednesday. In further investigation, the police found the doctor to be guilty of conducting the illegal abortion on the minor girl who conducted the operation on the instruction of the inspector, reports a daily.

The Doctor was questioned by the Crime Branch team at the Birmitrapur Police Station on Tuesday morning, following which he was arrested. Considering the brutal act, the POCSO court had sent the IIC to judicial custody till July 18 and rejected his bail Monday, reports OrissaPost. Now, the doctor has also been placed under custody.