BHUBANESWAR: In a surprising twist to the suspicious death of the 14-year-old tribal student of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), police on Wednesday said the minor was strangulated by three fellow inmates in the hostel.
All three have been booked under the Juvenile Justice Act. Eight officials of the residential institution too were arrested for suppressing the crime. The incident had taken place in the intervening night of December 11 and 12.
Initially, the KISS authorities had handed over body of Shiva Munda, a Class IX student of the residential school, to the family which belongs to Keonjhar without informing the local police in Bhubaneswar.
Addressing mediapersons, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh informed that Shiva was attacked and strangulated by three fellow inmates over a petty matter. The three children in conflict with law (CCLs) have been produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.
The police commissioner said the postmortem was conducted in Keonjhar after a zero FIR was drawn basing on a complaint from the family members of the deceased. “We received the postmortem report on Tuesday which revealed that Shiva had marks on his neck. A thorough probe was launched and it was ascertained that three students assaulted and strangulated him on December 11 night,” he added.
The three inmates had formed a group and called it ‘Joker Gang.’ Police, during its investigation, quizzed other students of the school and learnt about the assault. “We also found ‘Joker Gang’ inscribed on the wall of the hostel toilet where the incident took place,” the police commissioner said. Shiva was attacked after he refused to give a bucket to the three in the toilet block.
Detailing about the role of the authorities, Singh said, officials and teachers of the school suppressed the matter and tried to destroy evidence. The eight who were arrested include additional CEO of KISS Pramod Patra, headmaster of KISS secondary school Rashmiranjan Nayak, two teachers Binay Kumar Gochhi and Pradeep Kumar Das, senior academic coordinator Ashok Kumar Malla, assistant field officer of hostel Hemanta Kumar Mohapatra, supervisor of boys’ hostel Ramakanta Behera and assistant teacher Sujata Mishra.
Marks found on boy’s neck, case registered in Keonjhar
They have also been charged with intimidating other students to not disclose the incident to anyone.
The minor’s father Raghunath Munda had alleged that the school informed him on December 12 that Shiva sustained injuries after slipping in the toilet and was shifted to Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences. He rushed to the city where he was informed that his son had died due to cardiac arrest.
However, Raghunath noticed marks on Shiba’s neck and the family held protests in front of Keonjhar collector’s office demanding action. On December 13, Infocity police received a zero FIR from Keonjhar police and registered a case of death due to negligence but it was later turned into a murder case.