BERHAMPUR: Ganjam collector V Keerthi Vasan on Wednesday placed the headmaster of Helen Keller Red Cross (HKRC) School for the Deaf at Ambapua under suspension and dismissed the ad-hoc attendant on charges of assaulting a Class VIII specially-abled student.
A case was also registered against the dismissed attendant Girishraj Rout (39) and headmaster Bauribandhu Nayak in Gopalpur police station.
Police said during investigation, it was found that Rout had illegally housed 14 deaf and mute students in a rented accommodation, about one km from the school, without the knowledge or approval of either the school management or district administration. Keeping students in such unauthorised facilities violates prescribed welfare norms for persons with disabilities.
Gopalpur IIC Prashant Kumar Mallik said Rout was arrested and produced in court. Headmaster Nayak is being interrogated. Further action will follow based on the findings, he added.
The 15-year-old victim was staying in the private mess where the incident took place on November 20. Rout (39), who was managing the facility, reportedly assaulted the boy for trying to throw away the cooked food served to him. The accused beat the child mercilessly with a broom and forced him to eat the food.
The assault came to light after a video of the incident, secretly recorded by senior students, was uploaded on social media. The video soon went viral and caught the attention of the Chief Minister’s Office, which then alerted the department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) and directed immediate action.
The HKRC School is run with grant-in-aid support from the SSEPD department and managed by the Ganjam district Red Cross Society.