Fourth-grade student succumbs to school punishment in India

A heart-wrenching incident unfolded in Odisha's Jajpur district, India, where a fourth-grade student lost his life following an alleged incident of punishment at a government-run school, reported the 24NewsHD TV channel.  

The victim, identified as ten-year-old Rudra Narayan Sethy, was a student at Surya Narayan Nodal Upper Primary School in Orali.

The tragedy transpired on Tuesday afternoon when Rudra and four other students were reportedly playing on the school premises during regular class hours.

A teacher purportedly noticed the activity and, as a form of punishment, instructed them to perform sit-ups.

During the course of the sit-ups, Rudra collapsed, prompting immediate intervention by the school authorities. His parents were notified, and the distressed family, residing in the nearby Orali village in the Rasulpur block, rushed to the scene.

Following the incident, Rudra was swiftly taken to the nearby community center and subsequently transferred to the community health center.

Despite these efforts, he was declared brought dead at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack on Tuesday night.

The Rasulpur block education officer (BEO), Nilambar Mishra, mentioned that no formal complaint had been received at the time of inquiry. He assured that if a complaint is filed, an investigation will be initiated, and necessary actions will be taken against those found guilty.

 The Officer-in-Charge (IIC) of Kuakhia police station, Srikant Barik, mentioned that they have not received any complaint from anyone regarding the incident.

He clarified, "Neither the child's father nor the school has filed an FIR. Therefore, we have not registered any case in regard to the boy's death in school."

Rasulpur assistant block education officer, Pravanjan Pati, visited the school and initiated an inquiry into the incident.