Odisha: EMRS sports meet turns tragic as Class 11 student collapses, dies during race

Sundargarh: In a tragic incident, a Class 11 student of Eklavya Model Residential School died during the annual sports meet in Odisha's Sundargarh district today. The teenager, identified as Jaydeep Sagar Beck, was a resident of Bhawanipur village. 

As per preliminary reports, Jaydeep had taken admission to Class XI at the school earlier this year and had been studying there for only the past six months. On Tuesday, he was participating in the 400-metre race when he suddenly felt unwell while running and collapsed on the track. He was rushed to NTPC Medical College where doctors declared him dead.

The incident has left everyone stunned, raising questions over how a young, healthy and physically fit student could die so suddenly. After receiving the news of her son’s death, Jaydeep’s mother broke down and was inconsolable. Friends, parents, the school principal, the District Welfare Officer, and the ITDA Project Administrator, among others, reached the medical college following the incident.

The exact reason behind his death is not ascertained yet but the incident has reignited discussions on he school authorities’ preparedness to handle medical emergencies, including the availability of on-site medical supervision, pre-participation health screening of students, and immediate response mechanisms during physically demanding events.

Meanwhile, shocked parents and guardians have alleged serious lapse in the school's health management. As news of the death spread, a pall of gloom over the school campus, with students and staff left in deep shock and mourning.

Sudden Deaths on Campus Raise Alarm

In a similar development, a Class 10 student of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Nuapada, collapsed while playing football on the school campus earlier this month. The deceased student was identified as Dinesh Sabar, a national-level handball player.

Dinesh was engaged in a football match at the school playground in Tarbod in the district's Komna block when he suddenly lost consciousness and fell on the ground. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment, but doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Such repeated cases of children suddenly collapsing and dying on school campuses have emerged as a deeply troubling trend, raising serious concerns about student health and institutional preparedness. While underlying medical conditions are frequently suspected, these incidents also bring the spotlight on the lack of regular health screenings, inadequate on-site medical facilities, and delayed emergency response mechanisms in many schools. The recurring nature of such deaths has triggered calls from parents, health experts, and civil society for stricter health monitoring, trained medical personnel during school activities, and well-defined emergency protocols to ensure student safety and prevent avoidable loss of young lives.

Also read: Doctor collapses while attending to patients at Odisha hospital, dies