A student at SSD school in Deungula village, located in Koida block about 120 km from Rourkela, died while preparations were being made to transfer him to VIMSAR, Burla after his blood oxygen level dropped. The incident occurred on March 6 when the student, identified as Gellet, had gone to the toilet block with other students near the hostel's kitchen. At the time, only one of the four cooks in the kitchen was present, and he asked the 14-year-old to assist him in moving a large saucepan from the stove. While they were moving the pot, they lost their grip and spilled hot dal all over Gellet's thighs and below, causing severe burns, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
Gellet's hometown was Manoharpur in the adjacent West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. He was residing at the colony of a private mining company in Deungula. Gellet's father works in the mines. According to Sundargarh District Welfare Officer (DWO) Pabitra Mohan Pradhan, out of the four cooks in the kitchen, one was on leave, and another was at the hostel gate, and the third was absent from the campus.
According to the DWO, he was not informed about the incident until after the boy had passed away. The headmistress had informed the welfare extension officer but did not disclose the incident to anyone else. “It was found that on many occasions students were asked to assist in odd jobs and the headmistress used to be a mute spectator despite the fact that students should not be engaged in menial works — let alone risky task of cooking,” he said, as reported by The New Indian Express.
Following the demise of Gellet, a preliminary report has been submitted to Sundargarh Collector Dr Parag Harshad Gavali and prompt actions are expected to be taken. Subsequently, Gellet's body was taken by his family to Jharkhand after conducting an autopsy at Rourkela.