MUMBAI, India – An intermediate Catholic student gave birth to a baby boy in her hostel room in Andhra Pradesh, a state on the eastern coast of India.
Later, she allegedly threw the baby into the premises of a neighboring house on Sunday. The police are investigating whether the baby was stillborn or killed after being thrown from the upper floor of the building.
The incident happened in the Eluru district, which has over 2 million people, of which 3.37 percent are Catholic – higher than the average in the predominantly Hindu state.
According to an official, the girl – who is studying in her second year of intermediate education at St. Teresa Convent College in Eluru – resides at St. Joseph Convent for Religious Teachers of St. Lucy Filippini. This pontifical institute is dedicated to the works of the Christian Apostolate, where girls may choose to become nuns upon reaching adulthood.
The girl, who is currently 18 years and one month old, comes from Kurnool. She reportedly entered into a physical relationship with someone while she was a minor and subsequently became pregnant.
The girl managed to conceal her pregnancy from her classmates and the wardens, who are also nuns.
A housemaid discovered the dead baby and called emergency services. The police rushed to the scene and confirmed that the baby had been thrown from the hostel.
The girl, who was heavily bleeding, was admitted to the Government General Hospital in Eluru.
The police are investigating the case from all angles and questioning the hostel management. They are also probing how the girl managed to conceal her pregnancy. As of now, the girl is receiving treatment at the hospital and is not in a condition to provide a statement about the incident.
“The victim was from Kurnool, her parents have been informed and they have arrived here, the alleged father is from the same village as the girl is reported. In July 2024 she turned 18 years,” said Father Inje Paul, the local parish priest.
“I strongly believe that this kind of acts should be condemned. We should show zero tolerance towards such kind of inhuman acts, whether done by ordinary people or religious people. No one should support barbarian acts,” he told Crux.
“I don’t have much contact with the convent,” he added.
