Cuttack: Headmaster of Malaviharapur High School in Odisha’s Cuttack district was suspended for negligence on Sunday after a student died and 20 others were sustained injuries when a van in which they were travelling to a Republic Day parade venue overturned this morning.
“A collector-level inquiry has been ordered, and the concerned Headmaster has been suspended (sic),” the School and Mass Education Department said in a post on X.
Chief Minister Mohan Majhi also announced ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and Rs 2 lakh from the Education Department to the next of the kin of the deceased, identified as Soumyaranjan Behera, a Class X student. He further stated that best medical facilities will be provided to the injured students undergoing treatment.
While further announcing Rs 30,000 for each injured student, the department instructed schools to take measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
School and Mass Education Secretary Shalini Pandit also met the injured students at the SCB Medical College and Hospital here.
“We will try to find out the circumstances leading to the accident. The injured students are being treated in Athagarh and Cuttack hospitals, and they are out of danger,” said Cuttack Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde.
District Education Officer (DEO) Santosh Kumar Rout said the school’s headmaster was wrong in sending the students to the Republic Day function on a pick-up van.
Earlier in a letter to Director of Secondary Education, the DEO stated that the headmaster of the school, Kanhu Chanran Sahoo, after the flag unfurling programme in the school authorised 25 students of Class 8 to 10 to travel by a commercial pick-up van to Saranda parade ground. PET Puspalata Sahoo was escorting the students in her vehicle.
“Unfortunately, for some reason, the pick-up vehicle met with an accident and around 25 students were severely injured in the accident. All the injured were first rushed to Athagarh Primary Health Care Centre. After preliminary treatment, nine students with severe injuries were shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. Unfortunately, one of the injured students later succumbed to his injuries. The incident on an auspicious day like Republic Day has caused outrage in the area. The students were too happy and were going to attend the parade when tragedy struck. Due to gross negligence in duties committed on the part of the headmaster, stringent action as deemed proper may be initiated against him,” the DEO’s letter read.
“The injured students were first taken to Athagarh hospital where one student died. Some seriously injured students were later referred to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack,” said SP (Cuttack-Rural) Prateek Singh.
Strong action will be taken against those found responsible, he added.
Meanwhile, police have taken the van driver into custody for interrogation.
