KEONJHAR: In a shocking case of negligence, a Class II student at Anjar Government Upper Primary School in Banspal block was accidentally locked inside her classroom for over 17 hours before being found with her head stuck in the window grill on Friday morning.
The student, seven-year-old Jyotsna Dehuri of Ambadahara village, suffered injuries and was admitted to Keonjhar district headquarters hospital (DHH). Taking cognisance of the incident, the district administration suspended school headmaster Gourahari Mahanta.
Sources said Jyotsna had fallen asleep in the classroom after school ended at 4 pm on Thursday. Teachers locked the classroom without checking properly and left the premises. When the girl did not return home, her worried family began searching for her and even enquired at the school, but she could not be traced.
Jyotsna later woke up and realised she was alone. In a desperate attempt to escape, she tried to slip through the window grill but got her head stuck in the iron bars.
On Friday morning, when teachers returned, they were shocked to find her trapped. She was freed from the grill and rushed to the DHH for treatment.
Tension flared after her family and local villagers gathered at the school, demanding an explanation from the authorities. Police and administrative officials later reached the spot and brought the situation under control.
Headmaster Gourahari Mahanta said the student had fallen asleep in the classroom, and other students locked it without checking. “She was rescued on Thursday morning and taken to hospital for treatment. Her condition is stable and she is doing fine,” he said.
Block Education Officer of Banspal, Dasarathi Sundhi, said BRCC Niranjan Nayak conducted a probe into the incident. Based on his report, the headmaster was suspended for negligence of duty.