8 girls who went missing from hostel, rescued

Gajapati: Eight minor girls who went missing from ST girls’ hostel of Luhagadi Upper Primary school under Mohana block of Gajapati district on Monday evening have been rescued by the school authorities from a forest near Pendrakhola area.

As per sources, the matron of the hostel had gone to market at around 6 pm in the evening. When she returned, she found that three girls from Balibada village and one each from Gendrakhala, Dolamba, Lakhari, Bhaliagauni and Raghunathpur village were missing.

However, the matron did not have any clue about their whereabouts. When the hostel authorities were finally confirmed about their  disappearance, they started searching in the nearby areas.

Finally the eight girls were rescued and brought back to school this morning. Asked, the students alleged that it was the matron’s behavior and nagging that drove them to take the step.

One of the rescued students said, “The matron yells at us every day and it’s intolerable. She hardly gives us time to finish our chores. A hostel which accommodates 110 students, it is hard to finish off all works on time because there is always a rush.”

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Mohana WEO Simanchal Behera said, “The girl students have been rescued and we are having a discussion with them. They are blaming the matron for this. The girls complained that the matron used to yell at them regularly. We will hold a meeting with the school committee along with students to discuss the problems they face in the hostel.”