K'pada student falls during Puja decoration, dies

A Class-X student died on Tuesday after falling from a table-on-table while doing decoration work for Ganesh Puja in the Gajeswar Vidyapith, Deulipada under Kendrapada district’s Mahakalapada police station on Sunday night.

The deceased was identified as Gyanendra Mallick, son of Indramani Mallick of Orta village. Some school staff first rushed him to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) here without informing the family members. As his condition deteriorated, he was later shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.

Gyanendra’s parents came to know about the Gyanendra’s condition on Monday from some students of the school. They then went to the SCB on Monday afternoon to see their son. But as ill luck would have it, Gyanendra succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday.

As the news of Gyanendra’s death spread, locals staged a road blockade by burning tyres and barricading on Angulai-Bijaynagar road at Otra bridge demanding Rs 20 lakh as compensation and a Government job Gyanedra’s mother and suspension of the Headmaster for engaging students in decoration work risk fully.

They were still sitting on the road by late in the evening insisting on fulfillment of their demands.

A police team led by SI SN Satapathy was still trying to placate the situation.

When contacted, district Collector Debaraj Senapati said he has directed the District Education officer to conduct an inquiry and on receipt of the report, necessary action would be taken.

DEO Sangram Sahu said he would visit the school on Wednesday to conduct the inquiry.