MALKANGIRI: The family of a Class II student of Ashram School at Dharampalli who died of an illness on Sunday night staged a protest placing his body in front of the institution.
The family of Suka Madhi alleged he died due to the school authorities’ negligence and indifference towards the child’s plight. They bought his body to the SC and ST department managed school in an auto-rickshaw from Nandiwada village within Poda police limits and were joined by hundreds of locals in the protest against the authorities.
Adivasi Mahasangha cashier Budra Kartami told mediapersons that Suka was ill for the last one month and his father had visited the school five to six times to urge the headmistress to allow him to take his son with him for treatment at Malkangiri district headquarters hospital. But the school authorities denied him permission. Suka was eventually taken by the school authorities to Dharmapalli hospital on August 1 where he was given some medicines by the doctor on duty. The child was then brought back to the school hostel.
Kartami alleged the headmistress while opening the school gate on Sunday morning asked Suka to go home as he was ill. Suka walked and reached his home at around 2.30 pm when his parents were away.
When the parents returned home in the evening, they found Suka was seriously ill. But they did not take him to a hospital as it was well past sunset. Suka was found dead on Monday morning. Kartami blamed the school authorities for failing to take care of Suka which led to his death.
District welfare officer A Srinivas Achary told The New Indian Express that Suka died at his home at Nandiwada. He said, “Suka’s father says his son had reached home on Sunday. But, as per school records and staff, he had taken Suka with him on August 14 and the latter had been absent since then.” The body has been sent for postmortem.