Nayagarh: Belpada Government Primary School in Odisha’s Nayagarh district reopened on Monday after remaining closed for more than a month following the death of a student.
According to sources, the school at Belapadapatana village under Gania police limits was opened in the presence of Collector Madhumita Rath and SP S Susree. Two platoons of force were stationed to avert any flare-ups as police detained 13 protesters.
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10-year-old Bholanath Mallick, a Class V student, was recovered from an abandoned well on February 4 a day after he went missing from school. Following which, his family members along with residents of the same hamlet locked the school, demanding accountability and justice for the child’s death while alleging that the teachers and staff are unfit to protect the other students.
“We previously engaged in discussions with the parents to resolve the issue, but they persisted with their protests. A child’s right to education can be denied, and the school cannot remain shut. We conducted a flag march yesterday, and the school is now operating normally,” the collector stated.
The SP said that they were forced to take action as their protest impacted other students, who were also forced to appear for examinations at a nearby school.