The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought an action-taken report (ATR) from the SC and ST Secretary and Nayagarh Collector over the death of one Mini Majhi and 60 other students who fell seriously ill after consuming contaminated food in Kendua Sevashram School under Ranapur police limits in Nayagarh district within four weeks. The direction came from the commission in response to a petition filed by Maonj Jena of Human Rights Front on September 15.
Seeking justice to the affected students and stringent action against the concerned staff involved in the mishap, the petitioner has alleged that, “This is not the first case where students of residential schools are being victimised of substandard food and negligence. In last month some 88 students of Kandulbeda Sevashram School in Koraput district were also hospitalised after taking suspected food. At a time when the Union Government in its recent Road Safety Bill, made provision of seven year rigorous imprisonment for the death of child in road mishap, the State Government’s callousness for the death of tribal student and children is really a shame,” allege the petitioner. He further urged the commission to direct the Government to bring a guideline for the residential schools in this regard.