Class I student dies, family cries foul play

KEONJHAR: The body of a six-year-old boy, studying in a private residential primary school, was recovered from a pond near the school in Champua block in the district on Wednesday, sparking tension as family members staged dharna, claiming it to be a murder.

The deceased was a student of Class 1 and resided in the school hostel. The school staff discovered his body in the nearby pond on Wednesday morning and informed his parents.

A school staff claimed, "The boy went to the pond to attend nature's call and drowned." However, family members refused to believe this statement and alleged he was killed, as several cut marks were found on his body.

Following the incident, the family members and local people staged protest in front of the school. Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Barbil, Priyas Ranjan Chhotray and local police visited the spot and brought the situation under control.

The boy's father filed a complaint, prompting the police to lodge a murder case at the local police station and initiate an investigation.

The postmortem the body was conducted at the district headquarters hospital in Keonjhar on Thursday. SDPO Chhotray said, "After the autopsy, the body was handed over to the family members. We are investigating the incident from all angles."


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