Nuapada: A day after a Class III student died following drowning during lunch break, the headmaster and three other teachers of a government high school in Odisha’s Nuapada district were suspended on Tuesday for dereliction of duty.
The action was taken after the Class III boy of the Upgrade High School at Budhapada under Boden block in the district died in the mishap during school hour.
Sources said that school headmaster Rajendra Joshi and assistant teachers Kishore Sahu, Hingula Majhi and Lochan Behera have been placed under suspension by the district education officer (DEO) for dereliction of duty.
Angry villagers had staged a protest and locked up the teachers after the student of the school drowned in a nearby canal. The deceased student has been identified as Keshab Jagat.
The incident took place when Keshab had gone to take bath in the canal along with some students. However, he drowned in the canal while bathing.
Tension prevailed in the area after the incident. Irate villagers allegedly locked up as many as four teachers of the school inside a classroom of the school for six hours by holding them responsible for the death of the boy. They also demanded the suspension of the teachers, adequate compensation and a job to a family member of the deceased student.