Malkangiri: Manoj Madhi, a deaf and mute boy of Arabanpalli village under Kalimela block in this district, has warned of committing suicide as his matriculation exam result has been withheld on false malpractice charges.
The fatherless boy has sent a letter to his mother saying a visiting squad had wrongly implicated him in the matter and withheld his result for no fault of his. He doesn’t want to live any more as his year-long hard work has gone waste, Manoj wrote in his letter. The family including his two sisters is in a state of shock over the development.
According to reports, Manoj started tending farm animals in a nearby village after his father’s demise. Later, he came to know about the opening of a school for the deaf and the mute at Nayakguda in Mathili block. In an attempt to educate him, his mother Dhobi Madhi got him enrolled in the school, which is 60 km away from Arabanpalli. Not only did Manoj excel in studies, but also he did extremely well in sports at the state level and won various competitions.
Manoj appeared for HSC examinations at Government Boys’ High School here. Meanwhile, a mobile squad picked up a chit from the exam centre and seized Manoj’s admit card February 22. Though he tried to convince them through sign language that he didn’t own the chit, the squad members paid no heed to him. The teachers who were conducting the exam assured Manoj that he need not worry about it as things will be all right. However, he found himself in the category of students caught for malpractice when the results were published.
After Manoj’s mother received the threat letter, the villagers brought him to Arabanpalli and kept a vigil on him. One of Manoj’s relatives Saturday apprised collector D Prashant Reddy of the family’s grievance.
The collector Monday said no one had brought the matter to his notice. Terming it an unfortunate incident, the collector said he would follow up the matter after discussing with the district education officer.
DEO Prashant Kumar Mohapatra said he would take up the issue with the Board of Secondary Education.
School’s headmaster-cum-centre superintendent Nanigopal gave a clean chit to Manoj. Despite attempts, the matter couldn’t be settled with the squad, he said. PNN
