R Udayagiri: The Gajapati district administration suspended headmaster Seto Raika of Rubudisingh Upper Primary School following a tragic gate collapse that claimed the lives of two students on April 15.

Two girl students crushed in tragic incident

Two girl students, Edanti Raita (9) and Beckylesh Raita (10), of Rubudisingh village under R Udayagiri police limits and and students of class IV and class V respectively, lost their lives after an iron gate attached to a boundary wall collapsed on them while they were playing on the school premises on Wednesday. 

The students were rescued from the debris and rushed to a nearby hospital, where they were declared dead. Their bodies were later sent to the District Headquarters Hospital in Paralakhemundi for post-mortem.

Case filed against contractor

A case has been registered at R Udayagiri Police Station against a contractor accused of using the school premises to store construction materials. Villagers alleged that frequent movement of heavy vehicles inside the campus weakened the boundary wall and gate structure.

OHRC Chairperson visits site, assures action

Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) Chairperson Justice Satrughana Pujahari visited the site, condemned the incident, and assured strict action against those responsible. He also met the victims’ families and directed authorities to assess unsafe school infrastructure across the district.

The incident had sparked protests, with locals demanding accountability and compensation. The situation was later brought under control after intervention by local administration officials.

Expressing grief over the incident, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi ordered an RDC-level inquiry into the incident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the families of the deceased.