Phulbani: A headmaster, a teacher and a matron of a Seva Ashram in Belpadar here in Kandhamal district were suspended by the district collector Monday, in a feeble attempt at fixing accountability for the death of a nine-year-old girl who was found hanging in her hostel room in March.
Tulasa Kanhar’s death sparked outrage in the district with her parents rejecting the school authorities’ claim that the little girl took her own life. Collector D Brundha suspended headmaster/superintendent Pankaj Rana, assistant teacher/assistant superintendent Sarojini Kanhar and matron Harapriya Pradhan over the schoolgirl’s death.
The girl’s family members, while welcoming the development, warned that this was still too little, too late as it had come two months after the girl’s death.
Tulasa, a native of Pangapaju village in the district, resided at the Belpadar Seva Ashram hostel where she studied in Class III. She was found hanging from her bunk bed on the morning of March 17. School authorities rushed her to the Phulbani district headquarters hospital where doctors declared her ‘brought dead’.
Police registered a case of unnatural death and since then there has been little to zero investigation into the case, Tulasa’s parents have alleged.
“The unnatural death case should be converted into a murder case. Why would a nine-year-old commit suicide? She was a happy child. We strongly suspect that she was killed and hanged from the bed in order to make it look like a suicide. Our daughter had witnessed a teacher of the school engaging in ganja smuggling. Perhaps she was killed in order to keep the racket under wraps,” her father said, adding that the case should be handed over to the CBI for an efficient, impartial investigation.
When contacted, district welfare officer Ganeswar Bharimal said an investigation into the case is ongoing. Three persons have been suspended over the issue, Ganeswar added. Meanwhile, district education officer Bikash Pradhan claimed necessary action would be initiated against other teachers if they are found guilty of negligence.
Gochapada IIC Mrutyunjay Pradhan said they have not got any reports from doctors yet and said they would be in a position to divulge more details after a week. PNN
