BHUBANESWAR: A day after suspected food poisoning claimed the life of an eight-year-old girl and left 28 others indisposed at Nayagarh’s Kendua Sevashram School, the girl’s father has lodged an FIR with Ranapur police station accusing the school management of negligence.
Basing on the complaint of Joseph Majhi, father of Mini Majhi, Ranapur police registered a case against the school management for causing death by negligence under Section 304 (A) of IPC.
Though the FIR did not name anyone, police detained the school’s headmaster and quizzed him. The hostel superintendent as well as head cook would also be interrogated. The complainant stated that Mini was suffering from fever but was not given medical attention.
“Prima facie it makes for a case of negligence if the students were served stale food because it means those responsible for providing care did not do their duty though they are paid for the job,” said a senior police officer of Nayagarh.
Apart from interrogating the school staff, police would also wait for administrative inquiry report ordered by Nayagarh district administration before taking any action.
A joint team of Additional District Management and Additional District Medical Officer (Public Health) of Nayagarh went to the sevashram school and investigated the matter on Monday. If the administrative probe establishes liability of the school management, some of them may face arrest.
The State Government also rushed a four-member expert team from SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack to ascertain what caused food poisoning. The team went to the school as well as met doctors at Nayagarh District Headquarters Hospital.
District Collector Hemant Kumar Padhi said all the students are stable but will be kept under observation for another 24 hours. The three students who were admitted to Capital Hospital here before being shifted to Sishu Bhawan in Cuttack on Sunday night have shown improvement in health and are out of danger, he added.
The incident also reached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) after Global Human Rights Communications (GHRC) filed a petition requesting the rights panel to direct the Government to investigate the matter by an independent authority and fix responsibility and accountability on the public authorities.
GHRC’s Subash Mohapatra said the Government should pay an interim relief of `10 lakh to the kin of the deceased and `3 lakh to other victims along with free medical care.
“Basic standard of living is denied in State-run educational institutions and authorities are not responding to National Human Rights Commission notice for action taken reports and compliance of its order,” the petitioner said and appealed that a food policy for students of the educational institutions should be put in place.