MALKANGIRI: Headmistress of Gangla Sevashram school Sanghamitra Karasudha Patnaik and two other staff have been suspended by Collector Manish Agarwal following the death of Class I student Amit Kalekura, who drowned in a nearby pond on Monday.
Tha action has been taken on the basis of an inquiry report submitted to the Collector by Sub-Collector Rameswar Pradhan and ITDA Project Administrator RK Gond. They have been charged with negligence of duty.
The two others are helper Patitapaban Jena and matron Sumitra Behera. Collector also disengaged two cook-cum-attendants, Laxmidhar Kope and Kamalochan Saura on similar charges.
An inmate of the school hostel run by the Tribal Welfare Department, Amit had gone to a pond near the school to answer nature’s call when he slipped into the water and drowned.
Locals accused the school authorities of negligence and questioned the circumstances under which, the boy was allowed to go outside to attend nature’s call.
Rabindranath Chhatoi and Sumitra Mohanty have been posted as the new headmaster and matron of the school respectively.
Meanwhile, locals have urged the administration to construct toilets and make lighting arrangements in all the schools run by the Tribal Welfare Department.