One student died while two others were injured after a portion of a wall collapsed at a state-run residential school in Odisha’s Koraput district, police said on Thursday.
The incident occurred on Wednesday at the Gandhi Nagar Ashram, a school specifically for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students, in Kotpad.
The deceased student has been identified as eight-year-old Premananda Bhatra, a Class 3 student. The injured students were first taken to Kotpad for treatment and later transferred to the district headquarters hospital at Jeypore.
According to officials, a four-foot-high wall with an inauguration plaque suddenly collapsed within the hostel premises.
District Welfare Officer Sunil Kumar Tandi described the event as “unfortunate” and said inquiry committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Jeypore sub-collector.
“One of the injured students was discharged after preliminary treatment and has returned to the hostel, while the other, who suffered a leg injury, is undergoing treatment at the district headquarters hospital,” said Kumar Tandi.
“The committee will conduct a detailed inquiry and submit its report to the district collector for necessary action,” he said.
Managed by the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development Department, the Gandhi Nagar Ashram School provides education for children from Classes 1 to 8, serving the educational needs of the region’s SC and ST communities.
