Odisha student death after swallowing a pin: Could he have been saved?

It was a day of agony for young Tushar Mishra, a 12-year-old student from Daringbadi in Kandhamal district, who reportedly suffered unbearable stomach pain after accidentally swallowing a pin. Yet, no one came to his aid - not even his teachers, who allegedly ignored his cries for help.

The family members have lodged an FIR at the local police station alleging that their son lost his life due to the negligence by the teachers. However, the school authorities have denied the allegation by stating that truth behind the incident could be revealed by initiating an investigation.

According to the police complaint filed by Tusar’s father, the incident took place on October 15 in an Adarsha Vidyalaya at Dhobatota area in Phulbani, where Tusar was a student of Class 7. The boy accidentally swallowed a notice-board pin and immediately informed his classmates and nearby teachers, including Odia teacher Seema madam and Firoz Sir.

Despite being aware of the situation, the teachers allegedly dismissed his complaint, accusing him of lying. Instead of rushing him to the hospital, they even gave him food and water, which caused the pin to move further down his digestive tract, according to the FIR.

Also Read: Class 7 student dies after swallowing pin from school notice board in Odisha, family alleges negligence

Tusar reportedly writhed in pain throughout the day, but no medical attention was provided until school hours ended. His father stated that had the teachers acted promptly, his son’s life could have been saved. He has lodged an FIR about the incident at Daringbadi police station.

"I have lodged an FIR at the police station so that no parents will lose their children in this manner. The government should take stern actions against them (the teachers) so that no such tragic incident will again occur at any educational institution in future," said the deceased student's father, Kali Prasad Mishra.

"We and our son should get justice. Necessary actions should be taken. The Principal is saying that he is not aware of the incident. My son has given him the application and informed him about the incident. Sir and Madam have told him to take rice and water. Still, they are saying that they are not aware of the incident. The teachers should get punishment so that they will not repeat the same mistakes in their lives," said the deceased student's mother Tatinee Mishra.

"They (the teachers) should be punished so that they will know that they have taken away the life of a child. Our child has lost his life because of their neglect," said the deceased student's aunt, Kunteerani Mishra.

However, Principal of the Adarsha Vidyalaya-Sankeertan Behera, denied the allegation against the teachers.

"We have not got any direct information from him. Later, we came to know that the child was getting treatment at Sishu Bhawan, and he died subsequently. Truth will be revealed following an investigation into the incident," said Behera.

According to paediatrician Sunil Agarwal, who was treating Tushar, there was a problem in the Oxygen supply as the pin was stuck in Tushar's lungs for a long time.

"As the pin has been stuck for a long time, he could not take Oxygen into the lungs anymore. As a result, Oxygen supply to the brain has reduced a lot. Though I managed to remove the pin after a lot of hard work, the child's condition deteriorated because of hypoxia," said Agarwal.