The headmaster of an upper primary school of Sundargarh was suspended on Monday evening allegedly for caning as many as seven students of the school, reportedly for their indiscipline in the school hour. President of the School Managing Committee (SMC), besides bringing the matter to the knowledge of the departmental authorities, also filed an FIR.
Police after registering a case against the headmaster are now investigating the case.
The incident took place at the Pilingibahal Nodal Upper Primary School in Kuluta Panchayat under Sadar block in Sundargarh. There are as many as 103 students studying from class 1 to class VII in the school. On Saturday last, a group of seven students, identified as Kamalesh Bagha, Rajkumar Kisan, Bidyadhar Nayak, Hitesh Naik, Sevak Naik, Pabitra Naik all from class V and Ganesh Kisan, a student of class IV had reportedly gone out from school premises during recess period of the school. They had reportedly gone to a nearby location to watch digging of a bore well which was going on.
They returned to the school premises after the recess period and their absence from school during recess period had come to the notice of headmaster Aswini Sekhar Deo. Irked over this, Deo allegedly beat the seven students with a cane severely. The students, although reportedly had screamed in pain and appealed to excuse them, but the headmaster was reportedly merciless. All the students had developed cane marks on different parts of their bodies.
After this incident, the matter had come to the knowledge of SMC president Chaitanya Bag and locals, following which they rescued the students and sent to the Majhapada community health centre for treatment.
After that, the SMC president informed the matter to Sadar Block Education Officer lilima Dungdung and lodged an FIR against the headmaster in Dharuadih police station. Dungdung went to the school on Monday and conducted an inquiry and found headmaster Deo to be guilty. On Monday evening, she suspended Deo.