Twenty-seven Class 9 students at a government-run residential school in Odisha’s Rayagada district were allegedly assaulted by senior Class 10 students, according to police on Tuesday.
The incident occurred on Sunday in the hostel of Government High School, Ravilkona, run by the ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backwards Classes Welfare Department.
The matter came to light on Tuesday after the school headmaster lodged a police complaint against the involved seniors at the Chandili police station, a police official stated.
According to the official, the altercation began on Sunday when a group of Class 10 students confronted the juniors for returning late from the playground. When the Class 9 students objected to the reprimand, the seniors resorted to physical violence.
Later, after the junior students complained about the attack to school management, the class-10 students again assaulted the juniors using wooden bats, the official said.
By the time police personnel arrived at the campus, the accused Class 10 students had already fled the spot.
Meanwhile, department authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, and the Rayagada district administration has issued a show cause notice to the school headmaster, a senior official said.
