Odisha School Boy Falls From Mountain & Dies While Searching For Signal For Online Classes

In an unfortunate incident, a minor boy from Patraguda village under Padmapur Block of Rayagada district reportedly slipped from a mountain and died on Tuesday (Aug 17) while trying to search for mobile connectivity in the area. The deceased has been identified as 13-year-old Andriya Jagaranga, who was studying at a Missionary school in Cuttack. As per reports, the minor boy had been attending classes regularly through the online-mode due to Covid-19 induced lockdown.

However, on Tuesday, when the boy tried to attend his classes, he found no internet connectivity on his phone. He checked in his vicinity, but to no avail, which forced him to climb atop a mountain near his village to find mobile signal. However, a heavy downpour made the boy loses his footing atop the mountain, causing him to slip and sustain grievous injuries. Later, the boy was shifted to Padmapur Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

It need to mention that the government's decision to have online classes has met with resistance from people in the tribal and remote belts due to unavailability of proper signal in their areas. Children from these areas often have to trek long miles in hilly terrains to complete their assignments and are forced to put themselves at jeopardy while trying to find decent internet connectivity.