Pregnant govt employee loses child after being 'denied' leave in Odisha’s Kendrapada
Kendrapara (Odisha), Oct 29: A 26-year-old Odisha government employee claimed that she lost her child in the womb after allegedly being denied leave by a Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) while experiencing severe labour pain at her office in Kendrapara district.
The incident occurred on October 25 but came to light on Tuesday when the woman, Barsha Priyadarshini, shared her story with the media.
Barsha, an employee of the Women and Child Development Department in the district's Derabish block, said she was in her seventh month of pregnancy and felt intense pain at work.
She alleged that she requested CDPO Snehalata Sahoo and other officials to take her to hospital, but they ignored her pleas. Barsha also claimed that Snehalata mistreated her.
Later, Barsha's relatives took her to a private hospital in Kendrapara, where an ultrasound revealed that her baby had died.
She claimed that "mental harassment and gross negligence" of the CDPO led to her loss and also filed a written complaint to the district collector, demanding strict action against the Sahoo.
Nilu Mohapatra, additional district magistrate (ADM), Kendrapara said, "After getting the complaint, the district administration has directed the District Social Welfare Officer (DSWO) to submit a report after investigating the matter. After getting the report, we will take action."
Expressing concern over the incident, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida in a post on X said she discussed about the incident with Kendrapara collector and directed him to immediately conduct a detailed investigation and submit a report.
Reacting to the allegation, the CDPO said she was unaware of Barsha's suffering.
"A committee will be formed to investigate the matter. After that, we will submit our report," said Manorama Swain, DSWO, Kendrapara.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
UP: Misled by GPS navigation, car falls into river from partially constructed bridge, 3 dead
Bareilly (UP), Nov 24: Three people died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge here on Sunday, police said, adding that they suspect the driver was misled by its navigation system into taking the unsafe route.
The accident occurred around 10 am on the Khalpur-Dataganj road when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district, they said.
"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said.
The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said.
There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said.
Upon receiving information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Dataganj police station rushed to the spot. They recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river, Shivam added.
The circle officer said that bodies had been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
— Bareilly Police (@bareillypolice) November 24, 2024
