Pregnant Government Employee Suffers Miscarriage After Allegedly Being Denied Leave in Kendrapada

An employee of a state government in Odisha’s Kendrapada district said she lost her pregnancy due to her supervisor not allowing her to go on leave after she complained of labor pain. The incident which occurred on 25th October at Derabish block office unveiled when the victim Barsha Priyadarshini a clerk of the Women and Child Development Department reported the matter to media on Tuesday.

A Probe is Sought as Accusations Emerge

After that Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida has lodged a complaint and ordered an investigation into the matter as there are serious alleged against the CDPO Snehalata Sahoo. The victim, in her seventh month of pregnancy said she felt severe abdominal pain during working hours and had to be relieved to proceed to hospital.

The case has stirred controversies on the flow of the working place policies dealing with pregnancy complications in the government services. The formally written letter of complaint from Barsha Priyadarshini includes a narration of how she was compelled to work against her health condition, which led to the death of her unborn child.

CDPO Denies Allegations

CDPO Snehalata Sahoo has vehemently denied any wrong doing or complicity in the matter stating that at the time she had no idea that Priyadarshini was a sick woman. She said that all the allegations were untrue and explained herself on the issue with the leave request of the junior officer.

There have been many allegations against the Women and Child Development Department owing to these cases and local advocacy groups are now demanding rigid procedures for managing pregnancy complications. The department’s past polices on maternal health and the emergency leave policy are expected to be discussed in the process.