The Nabarangpur district administration suspended the headmistress of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya at Burja village under Umerkote block on Tuesday, November 18, following the death of a Class 7 student allegedly due to negligence of the school authorities.
Umerkote block education officer (BEO) Iswar Majhi suspended headmistress Mamata Swain after 12-year-old Bhavani Harijan, a Class 7 student of the residential school, died under mysterious circumstances on Monday evening, with her family members holding the hostel authorities responsible for the death.
Father alleges no treatment, no information
Sources said on the day, Bhavani’s father Kartik Harijan, filed an FIR in Umerkote police station alleging that, though his daughter was unwell for the past three days, the hostel authorities did not provide her any medical care. Besides, they also did not inform the student’s family members about her condition.
Kartik further claimed that his daughter was taken to the Umerkote sub-divisional hospital (SDH) after she died in the hostel. Bhavani died due to the negligence of headmistress Swain and the hostel peon, Kartik alleged.
Protests force action, autopsy conducted
After the news of Bhavani’s death spread, locals, including BJD and Congress workers, staged a dharna outside the SDH from 8 am, demanding strict action against the school authorities and 10 lakh compensation for the deceased student’s family members. They also did not allow the student’s body to be taken for a postmortem.
On being informed, district education officer Chhatrapati Sahu, additional SP Aditya Sen, SDPO Suvendu Sabar, other officials and former MP Pradeep Majhi reached the hospital and held discussions with the agitators. Subsequently, the protest was called off at 7 pm. The student’s body was handed over to her family members after autopsy.
Umerkote IIC Ramakant Sai said that based on the complaint of the deceased’s father, police have registered a case. An investigation is underway to determine the circumstances leading to the student’s death.