Protest Erupts in Odisha's Keonjhar After 14-Year-Old Student Found Dead, Family Alleges Foul Play

Odisha: The alleged mysterious death of a 14-year-old student at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) sparked protests in Odisha's Keonjhar district, where his family staged a demonstration outside the collectorate with his body, alleging foul play and demanding a thorough investigation.

The Class 9 student had died on Friday after being admitted to KIMS Medical College and Hospital in Bhubaneswar. According to a police complaint filed by the boy's father, Raghunath Munda, the KISS authorities contacted him on Friday morning to inform him that his son had fallen ill and was hospitalised, with some reports suggesting the boy had slipped in a bathroom and fractured his leg.

"When I reached the hospital in Bhubaneswar in the evening, the doctor declared my son dead and sent the body back to the village in an ambulance," said the student's father, Raghunath Munda.

The grieving father alleged he noticed marks on his son's neck and that he had received no medical report or information regarding the cause of death. 

"I noticed some marks on my son's neck. I have not yet received the medical report, nor have I been given any information about it." he added

Keonjhar Deputy Tehsildar Durgesh Kalyan Pradhan said the administration took action after the protests.

"We learnt that the incident occurred at an institute in Bhubaneswar. The family brought the body here. We have sent the body for post-mortem examination. Further action will be taken according to the law," he said.

KISS is an affiliate of the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), which has reported at least three alleged suicides, two of which involved Nepali female students.