TNI Bureau: In a major development in the death of a student at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), the Commissionerate Police arrested eight staff members for alleged negligence and for suppressing facts related to the incident.

Those arrested include Additional CEO Pramod Patra, teacher Binaya Kumar Gochhi, Academic Coordinator Prashant Mallh, teacher Pradeep Kumar Das, Headmaster Rashmi Ranjan Naik, Assistant Field Officer Hemant Mohapatra, Supervisor Shubhakanata Behera, and Assistant Teacher Sujata Mishra. 3 minor students have been arrested and handed over to the Juvenile Justice Board, in connection with the case.

The incident took place on December 12, when a boy student from Keonjhar district died on the KISS campus. Police investigation revealed that there was a clash between students, following which the victim was allegedly subjected to bullying. The student’s family later alleged murder and approached the Keonjhar Police Station. A zero FIR was registered and transferred to the Infocity Police Station in Bhubaneswar.

Commissioner of Police S. Dev Datta Singh said that some KISS authorities handed over the body to the family without informing the local police and initially claimed the student had died of a heart attack. However, a post-mortem examination later confirmed death due to strangulation, establishing it as a case of murder.

While KISS is an institution known for serving and educating thousands of tribal and underprivileged students, some teachers and staff brought disrepute to the institute by hiding the truth and mishandling the incident.

Police said the arrested officials are accused of a negligent and lackadaisical approach in dealing with the matter, which led to serious lapses in reporting and handling the case.

A completely overhaul of the management and vigilant approach, is the need of the hour.