Bhubaneswar: The death of a student of city-based Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), a reputed institution for tribal children, last week took a different turn on Wednesday with the police saying that the boy was killed by three of his fellow inmates at the hostel over a trivial matter.
Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissioner of Police (CP) S Dev Datta Singh said the accused had named themselves ‘Joker Gang’ and bullied the victim. “A case was registered here on December 13 on the basis of a zero FIR filed by the parents of the boy in Keonjhar, where the postmortem was also conducted. The scene of the alleged crime here was subsequently sealed,” he said.
Singh said that police received the postmortem report on December 16, which revealed injuries and a ligature mark on the neck. “The report was analysed with the scene of crime and it was concluded to be a case of murder. A team led by ACP Zone-6 Sonali Parmar reached out to other students, who confirmed that the ‘Joker Gang’ strangled him over a petty issue. Safety of those witnesses will be ensured,” he said.
The three students allegedly involved in the death have been sent to a correctional home after being produced before the Juvenile Justice Board as children in conflict with law, he noted.
Police further arrested 8 persons associated with the institute for allegedly concealing the matter and not reporting it to the authorities.
The 14-year-old student from Tikargumura village in Keonjhar Town, died on December 12 under mysterious circumstances. The body was handed over to the parents with a death report, stating that he is suspected to have died of cardiac arrest, the CP added.
The institute authorities are yet to issue any statement regarding the matter.
