In a case of mischief, a student in Odisha mixed pesticide in drinking water and offered it to classmates so that his school could remain shut for some time.
About 19 students fell sick after drinking the adulterated water and are now under observation.
The student had taken admission to Standard XI in Arts stream in the Kamgaon Higher Secondary School in Bargarh district. He had gone to his village Nuapalli on December 4 and returned to come to school on December 6.
According to school authorities, the boy was eager to return to his village and stay there.
“He was apparently elated by fake news circulated on social media that COVID-19 lockdown may return by December 19. The school would be closed. When it was clarified that the news was fake, he became depressed,” said Premananda Palei, principal of the school.
Mr. Palei said the boy kept telling his friends that he would make the school shut. On December 8, the boy mixed pesticide in a bottle of water and persuaded his hostel mates to drink it.
As the students complained of nausea and vomiting, they were first rushed to the Kamgaon hospital and then to the Bargarh District Headquarters Hospital. Though the students were declared out of danger, they were asked to remain under observation. It was found that all the students who fell sick had drunk the water offered by the boy.
At a meeting attended by the Bhatli Block Development Officer and the Block Education Officer, the boy admitted to having mixed pesticide in drinking water. The authorities are now contemplating to remove him from the school.
In another development, School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash told the Assembly that 49,098 students had dropped out of secondary schools. Of them, 15,792 were tribal students and 11,045 belonged to the Scheduled Castes. Mr. Dash said the Government had not received any report that students were not interested in coming to schools.
