By The News Observer Desk,
A shocking incident came to light in Karwar on Saturday afternoon, where a minor girl staying at a government-run girls’ shelter home allegedly attempted suicide. The shelter functions under the District Child Protection Unit.
According to officials, the girl tried to hang herself and was found in a critical condition. She was immediately rushed to the Karwar CRIMS Hospital, where she is currently undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The incident reportedly occurred around 1 pm. Officials said the girl quietly went to the upper floor of the shelter home without drawing attention and attempted to take her life. Alert staff members noticed the situation in time, intervened quickly, and managed to save her, averting a fatal outcome.
The girl is a student of a government high school in the city. However, she had not been attending school for the past two weeks and was staying continuously at the shelter home during that period.
It has come to light that the minor was a survivor of a POCSO case reported in August last year. Officials believe the trauma from the incident had a severe psychological impact on her. She was reportedly under intense mental distress and had, on several occasions, spoken about ending her life.
Given her condition, she was recently taken to NIMHANS in Dharwad for psychiatric treatment. However, even after receiving medical care, she continued to repeatedly express suicidal thoughts, officials from the Child Protection Unit said.
Around 20 girls who are survivors of various cases currently reside at the shelter home, which is staffed by 10 personnel. Following the incident, concerned authorities conducted an inspection at the facility. Discussions are now underway on strengthening supervision, security arrangements, and mental health care systems at the shelter to prevent such incidents in the future.
Videography and Reporting by Saikiran Babrekar
