Odisha: Class 4 tribal student 'chained' to prevent him from fleeing school, video viral

Nilagiri/Balasore: Raising serious posers on the state of affairs in government schools for the underprivileged, a minor tribal student was reportedly kept chained with an iron shackle to prevent him from running away in Odisha's Balasore district. The shocking incident, which was reported from Begunia UGUP School under the Begunia Panchayat of Nilgiri block, came to the fore after a video went viral on social media. The child was identified as Malaya Singh, Class IV student hailing from nearby Kambharkhalia village.

As per reports, the school runs a hostel with 40 seats for children from nearby areas in which Malaya was enrolled. In the viral clip, a boy referred to as the hostel caretaker by other students, was heard claiming that the child was tied up because he repeatedly ran away from the hostel and returned home without informing anyone. It is alleged that the boy had been kept chained for nearly ten days. Meanwhile, the teacher in charge of the hostel has claimed that the child’s father himself instructed them to restrain the boy because of his frequent mischief.

District administration assures strict action

Nilagiri Welfare Extension Officer Shailendra Satapathy said he is aware of the incident and that a detailed investigation would be carried out, following which stringent action would be taken against the guilty. School Headmaster Raghunath Bagudai stated that he was not present at the school when the incident occurred. According to him, he was informed that the child’s father brought him and tied him up because the boy repeatedly fled the hostel. Upon learning this, the headmaster said he immediately freed the student from the chain and sent him to attend classes. He further alleged that some “conspiratorial teachers” were circulating the video to tarnish his reputation.

The video, after making headlines, has triggered sharp reactions from various quarters with many condemning the act as a gross violation of human rights, especially since the state government has declared its schools “corporal-punishment free.” 

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