Odisha: Class IV Boy Found Chained In Balasore School Hostel
Contradictory claims emerge as officials question school staff and parents; MP Pratap Sarangi demands strict action after video goes viral
Bhubaneswar: A high-level inquiry has been initiated after a shocking video showing a Class IV student chained to a bed inside a government school hostel in Balasore district went viral on social media.
Acting on the disturbing visuals, the Balasore district administration swung into action and dispatched a probe team led by the Nilagiri Deputy Collector, accompanied by the District Social Welfare Officer (DSWO) and the District Education Officer (DEO), to the Begunia Government UG UP School on Thursday.
Officials examined the hostel room where the child was found with his legs chained and conducted detailed interactions with school authorities, hostel staff, and the boy’s parents. The objective, officials said, is to establish who restrained the child and why such an extreme measure was taken in a campus officially declared a “No Punishment Zone.”
Speaking to reporters, the Deputy Collector confirmed that the inquiry is underway and assured that “strict action will be taken against whoever is responsible once the facts are fully established.”
The incident has drawn widespread public outrage. Balasore MP Pratap Sarangi on Wednesday demanded a thorough probe, stating that such inhumane treatment of a minor cannot be tolerated under any circumstance.
Meanwhile, contradictory statements have surfaced. While the headmaster claimed the boy was tied up by his guardian, the child has alleged that a hostel attendant fastened him to the bed. Authorities are now working to reconcile these conflicting accounts as part of the ongoing investigation.
The reasons behind the confinement of the minor boy remain unclear, and officials said the truth will be ascertained after the probe concludes.
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Photograph: A screengrab from a video shows the Class IV boy chained in his school hostel.