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Peddapalli: Adopted minor ends life

It is the responsibility of district child protection officer along with the district welfare officer to conduct post-adoptive follow ups.

Peddapalli: Allegedly fed up with the harassment by her adoptive parents, a 14-year-old girl committed suicide by hanging in Peddapalli district.

Mr S. Mallesh, a retired employee of the National Thermal Power Corporation and his wife Sandhya, adopted a girl, Jyothi, when she was nine years old from Shishu Vihar of Hyderabad in 2014 and took her to their residence in Peddapalli district.

The honorary president of the Balala Hukkula Sangham, Mr Achyut Rao, alleged that because of the harassment by her adopted parents, especially the father, the girl took the extreme step of ending her life.

It is the responsibility of district child protection officer along with the district welfare officer to conduct post-adoptive follow ups whenever a child is adopted. Even after collecting Rs 6,000 for the purpose, the officials allegedly did not go on follow-up visits to find out the condition of the child, which is a mandatory.

The Supreme Court has also issued a verdict in 2017 regarding post-adoptive follow up which must be held under the supervision of the district collector in the best interest of the child.

Mr Achyut Rao demanded immediate action against the adoptive parents and against the officials concerned who failed in conducting post-adoptive follow ups, ignoring the guideline issued by the Supreme Court.

DCPO (district child protection officer), Parwin, speaking to Deccan Chronicle condemned the allegations made that post-adoptive follow ups was not done by the officials of concern departments.

Ms Parwin said that right from the time of Jyothi’s adoption by Mr Mallesh and Ms Sandhya, officials were constantly supervising the situation of the child. “We also conducted counselling three times,” she said. As there is a generation gap between the child and the adopted parents, extra care was taken by the adoptive parents. The child might have felt inconvenient and was not able to adjust.”

“The last time we spoke to Jyothi, she was feeling good and Mallesh and Sandhya were adjusted with the child. What prompted Jyothi to take that extreme step is not known,” she said.

The police has registered a case and started an investigation.

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