Rayagada: Seven Class X students of a government-run residential school in Odisha’s Rayagada district have been expelled for allegedly ragging their juniors and assaulting them for returning late to the hostel, officials said Thursday.
The incident took place Sunday at a school run by the ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backwards Classes Welfare Department, they said.
The matter came to light Tuesday after a video purportedly showing senior boarders beating junior students with a cricket bat, sticks and coconut fronds surfaced on social media.
The school headmaster subsequently lodged a complaint at Chandili police station against the accused students, officials said.
Following public outrage and protests by parents of the victims, the school authorities expelled the seven students and issued them transfer certificates (TCs) for gross misconduct, District Welfare Officer Ashima Rao said.
“We have taken such a strong action against the Class 10 students because they were found involved in such activity in the past also,” she said.
Rao said police would take further action based on the complaint lodged by the school authorities.
The department has also initiated an inquiry into the incident, while the Rayagada district administration has issued a show-cause notice to the school’s headmaster, a senior official said.
The school management has decided to hold a parent-teacher meeting to restore confidence among students and parents and ensure such incidents do not recur.
The school has more than 200 students studying in classes VIII to X.