TV
A Class 10 student of a private English medium school in Keonjhar district died after falling from the terrace of his school hostel on Saturday evening. The deceased has been identified as Krishna Pradhan of Kairala English Medium School in Champua.
According to preliminary reports, the student was a boarder and staying in the school’s four-storey hostel building. The incident occurred when Krishna reportedly fell from the rooftop under circumstances that remain unclear.
Police from the Champua station have launched an investigation, and officials confirmed that forensic and circumstantial evidence are being collected from the scene.
However, no official version has been released yet by either the police or the school authorities.
Sources confirmed that the incident was being investigated, and it was not clear yet whether it was an act of suicide or if it involved foul play.
Student Suicide Cases Rising in Odisha
According to data presented by the Odisha government in March this year, student suicides in the state have shown a consistent rise from 119 cases in 2021 to 173 in 2022, and reaching 189 in 2023.
Notably, many of these cases reportedly involved hostel students or those under intense academic or emotional pressure.
Despite these alarming numbers, many schools and colleges in the state continue to function without dedicated psychological support services.
Guidelines issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2023 urged higher education institutions to establish student service centres, dedicated helpline numbers, and counselling units, but implementation has remained limited across Odisha.
