Soldier held for giving birth on duty

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 May 1999, 23:32 GMT]
A female soldier is being held in Police custody after being suspected of giving birth to a child while on duty at Galkandegama, the 165th mile post of the Medawachchi trunk road on Tuesday.

The female soldier who was stationed at the Poonewa army camp, 8 miles north of Medawachchi, was on road clearing duty and had walked 5 miles when she experienced pain.

On arriving at the Galkandegama guard post she had told the other soldiers in her group that the she was going to answer a call of nature and had delivered the child and left the child under a brush and had then rejoined her group.

The following day a group of soldiers who went to the same area for duty had discovered the dead body of a new born and had reported it to the officials at the Poonewa army camp.

Before the matter was brought to the notice of Medawachchi Police the army officials made preliminary inquiries and the soldier had confessed that she had delivered the child still born.

She had said that she had an affair with a soldier after joining the army and he had deserted her.

Anuradhapura District Magistrate, Mrs. Jeyaki de Alwis, visited the scene today and ordered the Police Officer in Charge of Medawachchi Police Station, J.P.D.Jayalath, to continue with the inquiries.

Meanwhile, the Judicial Medical Officer in Anuradhapura is conducting investigations to find out whether the baby was born dead or died after birth.

Sources said that the woman corporal who had not received any medical care after delivering the child was admitted to Anuradhapura hospital for medical care.

Medawachchi Police said that the inquiry is continuing.