Minor girl gives birth to baby in TN; police asked to take action against man

THENI: The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) has asked the Theni district police to initiate action against a 27-year-old man for raping a 14-year-old girl after which she gave birth to a baby.
The incident came to light when the girl approached the CWC to hand over the girl baby as she would not be able to raise her. According to CWC member B Pandiaraja, the girl from a village in Andipatti taluk stated that a few months ago her neighbour Perumal, 27, had given her food laced with sedatives and raped her. The girl said she had come to know about it only after she regained consciousness but did not inform her family.
A couple of months ago, her mother took her to government-run clinic when she fell ill. “The girl said only then did she come to know that she was pregnant and that she was in her seventh month of pregnancy,” the member said.
She gave birth to the baby in a government hospital on November 11.
The CWC directed the Theni district police to initiate action against Perumal under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The committee also sought a report from the police on the action taken against the perpetrator within 15 days.
The baby was sent to a home in Tuticorin district for temporary care.