DHENKANAL: The district administration on Thursday finally closed the Sri Sri Laxmi Narayan Gurukul Ashram at Irangajharan village in Kankadahada block of the district.
As many as 62 children of which 45 are girls were rescued from the residential school, which had been functioning illegally since 1993 from forest land. The school had also violated the Juvenile Justice Act.
The notice to close the school was issued by the District Education Officer five months ago. However, no action was taken in this regard. An FIR too was lodged against the management of the school. The district administration’s action came after the District Child Welfare Committee intervened in the matter.
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Earlier on the day, Child Welfare Committee chairman Pratap Chandra Acharya, members Niranjan Mishra, Bhanumati Pany, Kamakshyanagar Sub-Collector Bishnu Acharya along with police personnel and magistrates reached the school and vacated its premises.
While the girls were sent to an open shelter, the boys were sent to Maharshi Dayananda Service Mission.
The health check-up of all the students will be conducted on Friday. Acharya said the inmates of the school were rescued with the help of the district administration. He said the children will be sent back to their native places after their documents are verified.
Acharya said all care will be taken to ensure that the children’s studies are not affected.
The plight of the school and its inmates were highlighted by The New Indian Express last week.
A Class III student of the school was found dead in the hostel on July 2. Neither did the residential school have a no objection certificate nor was it registered under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015.