Baripada, Aug. 15: The district welfare wing finds itself in a soup after the pregnancy of a minor girl student staying in a government-run tribal hostel came to light recently.

The girl is a student of Class VIII at Badamtala High School, which falls in the Bijatola block of Mayurbhanj district. According to school records, she is 13 years old.

The medical examination report suggested that she was about five months pregnant.

When the information spread, other hostel inmates yesterday threatened to quit the hostel. Later, welfare extension officer of the block Rashmi Ranjan Sahu pacified them.

“It has been decided that the victim will be shifted from the hostel to a short-stay home in Baripada,” said Sahu.

The pregnancy of the victim, who was admitted to the school hostel on July 17, came to light during a drill class on Friday.

Finding a marked change in her activities, the matron of the hostel spoke with the girl who revealed that she had had physical relations with a 28-year-old man of her village.

On the same day, a medical test was conducted on her in the local government hospital which confirmed her pregnancy. Then the district welfare officer lodged an FIR with the Rairangpur police station.

During investigation, the victim told the police that the accused had been in a physical relationship with her since January and had promised that he would marry her. The man in question has left the state.

The inspector in charge of Rairangpur rural police station, Jaynarayan Khandei, said: “She has revealed the name of the accused. Her statement has been recorded under Section 164 of the CrPC. A case has been registered against the accused.”