Class X student dies in Ganjam days before start of board exams

Berhampur: A Class X student of a residential school at Khallikote in Ganjam district died under mysterious circumstances on Sunday.

The deceased, identified as Mihir Pradhan (15) of Bhagalpur, was studying in Class X and staying in the school hostel for the past three years. The incident occurred just four days ahead of the start of the school board examination on Feb 19.


Like other days, he along with other students went for a morning walk in the town. He, however, collapsed on the way while returning to the hostel, sources said.

He was rushed to the community health centre Khallikote immediately by the teachers and other students, where doctors declared him dead. “We have registered an unnatural death case and launched an investigation. The exact cause of his death would be clear only after getting the autopsy report,” said Ramesh Chandra Pradhan, inspector-in-charge, Khallikote police station. The post-mortem was conducted at MKCG Medical College and Hospital here.

Khallikote MLA Purna Chandra Sethi and tehsildar Maleswar Patra rushed to the hospital and consoled the deceased’s parents.

School principal Karunakar Patnaik said 84 inmates of the hostel, from classes VIII to X, went to one of their campuses located at Laxmi Narayanpur, about 2 km away, on Maha Shivaratri along with two teachers. After completing the prayer session, they were returning to the hostel when Mihir fainted on the way. “We took him to the hospital in an auto, where doctors declared him dead,” he said.

Patnaik said before the incident, he did not complain about his health problems to the teachers and went on like any other normal student. He said they also did not pressure students for their upcoming high school certificate examinations which will start on Feb 19. To make them feel relaxes, the authorities took them for prayer ahead of the annual exams, the principal added.