Locked in box, eyes glued: Odisha govt schools under fire after series of shocking incidents

A major uproar erupted at Jarada Government Nodal High School under Gurundia Block in Sundargarh district after a third-grade student was found locked inside a box. Following the incident, officials including the PA, ITDA, and WEO visited the school and initiated an investigation.

Reports suggest that after a physical altercation between two students, the third-grade student hid inside a box in the hostel and remained there for nearly four hours before being rescued in an unconscious state. 

While, the headmaster admitted the occurrence of the incident, it also came to light that various untoward incidents had previously taken place at the school. In one such case, a student had earlier been admitted to the hospital after consuming kerosene.

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This raises serious questions about how a government-run hostel is being managed, especially when parents entrust their children’s safety and education to such institutions. Even after the incident came to light, there appears to have been no proper action taken so far.

The incident has now sparked widespread outrage, prompting calls for strict accountability and corrective measures in the school system.

Parents send students to schools with high hopes and dreams, but growing concerns over their safety are creating fear in many households. The shocking incident in Sundargarh, where a student was rescued from a box under alarming circumstances, has further intensified public anger.

In another highly unfortunate event two days ago at Salaguda Sebashram Vidyalaya in Kandhamal district, some students forcibly applied Fevikwik to the eyes of their fellow students. The incident occurred at the Sevashram hostel during the night while students were asleep. All eight affected children were admitted to the hospital for treatment. The next morning, they were unable to open their eyes and were found crying in pain.

Earlier in August, a similar case of negligence created unrest at Anjar Primary School in Keonjhar district. A class III girl became trapped in the school’s iron grill while trying to exit the premises. Shockingly, she remained stuck throughout the night and was only rescued the next morning.

Such incidents call for serious introspection and immediate preventive measures to ensure the safety and well-being of children in educational institutions.