Pregnant tribal minor dies from bleeding amid hospital transfers; police probe possible abortion attempt

Kasaragod: A 16-year-old tribal girl, four-and-a-half months pregnant, died of excessive bleeding while her parents were forced to rush her from one hospital to another.

Kasaragod's Vellarikundu police, which registered an unnatural death case, said the Class XI student's pregnancy was linked to her 16-year-old classmate and distant relative from the same Mavilan Scheduled Tribe community. The two families knew of their affair, and their relationship often triggered arguments between them, Vellarikundu Station House Officer - Inspector Mukundan T K said.

Police have not yet revised the charges to include sections under the stringent Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, as they have described the case as intricate, involving minors, familial ties, and evolving judicial perspectives on consensual teen relationships. "We are awaiting chemical test results to determine if she was administered any potion or medicine to induce miscarriage," said the officer.

The autopsy, conducted at Wenlock District Hospital in Mangaluru, confirmed she was 18 weeks pregnant. Police said the parents told them they were unaware of her pregnancy.

The girl first complained of stomach pain last week and was taken to a cooperative hospital in Vellarikundu, about 4 km from her home in Kinanur-Karinthalam grama panchayat. She was reportedly treated for a urinary tract infection and sent home. When her pain persisted, her parents took her to a private hospital in Parappa within the same panchayat, where doctors advised her to continue the same medication.

On Friday, May 9, she began bleeding heavily. Her parents rushed her to Aishal Medicity in Kanhangad, where doctors tested her urine and, noticing a drop in her pulse, advised immediate transfer to Mangaluru. She was taken first to Unity Hospital, which referred her to Father Muller Hospital due to lack of her blood type. She died en route to Father Muller in the early hours of Saturday, May 10.

Police will investigate if the hospitals knew the girl was pregnant and were washing their hands of her.

While the upper gestational limit for abortion is 20 weeks under normal circumstances, amendments to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act in 2021 allow termination up to 24 weeks in cases of sexual abuse, police said. "But we still don’t know if the family attempted to terminate the pregnancy legally or illegally," another officer said.

Some media reports claim the girl was given herbal medicine to trigger bleeding, but police have not verified this.

The 16-year-old boy is expected to be questioned soon. Courts have lately shown a more lenient approach in similar cases involving minors in romantic relationships. Earlier this month, the Allahabad High Court observed that the POCSO Act was not intended to criminalise consensual teenage relationships. On May 3, 2023, the Bombay High Court echoed this view, stating that the law was designed to protect children from exploitation, not to punish minors in consensual affairs.