GUWAHATI: A dozen staff members, including the in-charge Principal, of Padumpukhuri High School in Sipajhar of Darrang district in Assam, have been transferred to other schools in the wake of the death of a student on September 23.
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They have been held guilty of negligence.
The decision to transfer the staff comes alongside an ongoing police investigation into the incident. Additionally, the School Education Department has launched a separate inquiry to examine the circumstances surrounding the student’s death.
A ninth-grade student of the school lost his life after being allegedly severely beaten by a schoolmate on the morning of September 23. The victim, identified as Bhabesh Deka, was the son of Hemchandra Deka and a resident of Senapati Para in Darrang district. Bhabesh collapsed in his classroom following the altercation and was immediately rushed to the hospital. Post the incident, due to his critical condition, he was referred to the Mangaldai Civil Hospital, but he finally succumbed.
The Principal of Burhinagar Senior Secondary School has now been assigned charge of Padumpukhuri High School.
Education minister Ranoj Pegu took to X to put out, “In response to the tragic incident on 23/09/2024 at Padumpukhuri High School in Darrang district, where a student tragically lost his life, 12 staff members, including the in-charge Principal, have been transferred to other schools due to their negligence. The Principal of Burhinagar Senior Secondary School has been given charge of Padumpukhuri High School. In addition to the ongoing police investigation, the School Education Department has initiated an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the student's death.”
Further details on the incident and findings from the investigations are awaited.
In a similar incident in Jorhat, a group of students got involved in a violent altercation inside their school, leaving one student injured.
According to reports, a group of students of Class IX assaulted a Class XI student, leaving the latter injured. The victim, identified as Debojit Baniya, sustained injuries after being thrashed by younger students. School authorities clarified that the altercation did not take place during school hours but after the day’s examinations had concluded.
Meanwhile, police have detained one of the students involved in the attack.