A 19-year-old student died after falling into the Koel river while reportedly taking selfies atop a railway over bridge near Pradhanpali within Chhend police limits, Rourkela, on Sunday, May 18. The deceased is Swadhin Oram, a student of a private Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Rourkela, Odisha, according to a report by The New Indian Express.

Chhend Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) Bijay Singh said Oram along with three of his friends had gone to the bridge in the afternoon. While taking selfies, Oram lost control and fell from the bridge. His body was recovered from Koel river by fire services personnel, according to the report by The New Indian Express.

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Teachers' Associations Coordination Forum Honorary President Vonteru Srinivasulu Reddy said that teaching in the mother tongue from the primary level is essential for the development of students.

In a statement issued on Sunday, May 18, he strongly advocated for the continuation of Telugu medium education in government schools. Reddy pointed out that the recent Government Order (GO) 21 outlined nine types of schools but made no mention of Telugu medium instruction, as per a report by The New Indian Express.

He reminded that the present alliance government, while in opposition, had fiercely protested the previous Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) government's unilateral push for English medium education and demanded the mandatory inclusion of Telugu medium in schools.