Nabarangpur: A 12-year-old Class VIII student was found hanging inside the hostel of Bhamini Ashram School in Umerkote block of Odisha’s Nabarangpur district on Thursday morning.
The deceased has been identified as Prashant Bhatra, son of Parameswar Bhatra from Badakumari village. He was a resident student at the Bhamini Ashram School.
According to sources, Prashant had returned to the hostel from his village just two days before the incident. His body was found hanging inside the hostel premises early this morning, leaving family members, school staff, and locals stunned.
On being informed, Umerkote police reached the spot and sent the bod for postmortem. While the exact cause of death is still under investigation, preliminary inquiries suggest it could be a case of suicide. School staff and senior boarders are likely to be questioned as ascertain the circumstances leading to his death.
Speaking to the media, Umerkote Block Education Officer Ishwar Majhi said school staff suspect the boy took the extreme step after midnight. “The staff had seen him during their late-night rounds in the hostel. He was previously studying at Adarsha Vidyalaya and had only recently shifted to the Ashram school. We are not aware of the reason for the change. The incident occurred just three days after he joined the new school,” he added.
The incident has sparked serious concerns about student safety, supervision, and mental health support in residential school hostels, particularly in tribal and rural areas of Odisha.
