Bhubaneswar: The Odisha crime branch has begun a preliminary investigation into allegations of harassment of a Bengali-speaking schoolgirl in Keonjhar district.
The inquiry followed a directive issued by the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) on December 30, 2025. The OHRC took up the matter after jointly hearing complaints filed by the girl and her mother.
In her complaint, the mother alleged that her daughter was harassed and ill-treated at the school because of her Bengali background. The girl further alleged that she was denied admission to Class VI at an Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya (OAV) in the district, as the school authorities refused to issue her a transfer certificate (TC).
The commission, which first heard the case in March 2025, noted that the headmistress of the school had denied all the allegations during the proceedings. “Since this is a disputed question of fact, this commission wants this case to be investigated by the crime branch, Odisha, regarding the complaint of harassment of the girl student and mother duo and non-supply of TC to the child,” TOI reported, quoting the order.
The human rights panel also recommended that the OAV authorities, particularly the Keonjhar district magistrate, consider allotting a seat to the complainant under the discretionary quota for the upcoming academic session in Class VI.
