Bhubaneswar: The state government has ordered a probe into a mishap in which a school student was killed and 20 others were injured in Banki area of Odisha’s Cuttack district today morning.
School and Mass Education (S&ME) Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Shalini Pandit has directed Cuttack Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde to probe the incident.
Pandit also directed the district administration to place the headmaster of the high school under suspension.
A Class-X boy was killed and 20 others were injured after a van carrying students of Malaviharpur High School to a Republic Day parade venue overturned in Banki area in the morning.
The injured students were immediately rushed to a nearby hospital. Some of them were, later, shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack city as their conditions deteriorated.
The S&ME Secretary visited SCBMCH and met the injured students.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has expressed grief over the incident. The state government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the family members of the deceased student.
As per the announcement, the kin of the deceased will get Rs 3 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and Rs 2 lakh from the S&ME Department.
The Chief Minister also asked the Health Department to provide proper treatment to the injured students.