Bhubaneswar, Feb. 8: Police today arrested the headmaster of Umari Sevashram School in Semligua block in Koraput district, about 600km from here, after a Class VI student delivered a baby on the school premises.

The police have also detained the school peon and some other employees.

The headmaster, Kailash Chandra Brahma, was taken into custody because he allegedly suppressed the fact of the 13-year-old tribal girl's pregnancy.

Though the incident occurred on February 4, it came to light last night following which the police swung into action. The girl had become irregular in attending school for the past six months. Her stay in the hostel became brief and she used to go back to her village frequently.

Sources said the heavily pregnant girl was brought to the school by her parents and fellow villagers in the hope that the school authorities would help her reach a hospital. However, she delivered a baby boy on the school premises. Later, the school authorities consistently persuaded her parents to take her back to the village.

Sources revealed that an attempt was made to find out the person responsible for the girl's condition and get them married. The police said the headmaster should have informed them about incident much earlier.

'Instead, he tried to suppress the matter,' said a cop.

In another incident, the police have arrested the prime accused, Tuna Pradhan, in a case of a minor girl delivering a baby last month. The victim was a Class X student of Lingagad Girls' High School under G. Udaygiri block in Kandhamal district. She had delivered a baby boy at the school hostel.