Odisha: KISS student found dead was killed by 3 classmates over ‘split dal’, say police

In a press meet, Bhubaneswar commissioner of police Suresh Devdutt Singh said that eight officials of the institute, including its additional CEO Pramod Patra and several teachers, have been arrested.

The mysterious death of a Class 9 student at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) in Bhubaneswar took a dramatic turn on Wednesday after police alleged that the boy was murdered by three of his classmates following a dispute over spilt dal, Hindustan Times reported.

The claim contradicts the institute’s earlier assertion that the student had died after slipping in the hostel bathroom.

The deceased, 14-year-old Siba Munda, hailed from Tikargumura village in Odisha’s Keonjhar district. He died on December 12 while undergoing treatment at KIMS Medical College and Hospital in Bhubaneswar.

Following his death, family members staged a protest outside the Keonjhar collectorate with the body, accusing the residential school authorities of suppressing facts surrounding the incident. They also alleged that the institute failed to share medical records or provide a clear explanation for the cause of death.

The boy’s father, Raghunath Munda, in his police complaint, alleged that the authorities had contacted him on Friday morning, informing him that his son had suddenly fallen ill and had been admitted to hospital.

Officers of the Infocity police station were quoted as saying that Munda was assaulted and strangulated inside a hostel washroom following a dispute over spilt dal. The assault, as per the report, took place inside the washroom, where the victim was allegedly first beaten and then strangulated by three of his classmates.

“The post-mortem report indicated that it was a case of homicidal violence rather than an accidental fall as claimed by the KISS officials,” a police officer was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

Three students, all minors, have been apprehended in the case and produced before the juvenile justice board in Khurda district. All three have been sent to a correctional home, the officer added.

In a press meet, Bhubaneswar commissioner of police Suresh Devdutt Singh said that eight officials of the institute, including its additional CEO Pramod Patra and several teachers, have been arrested.

Seven doctors who operated on the boy are being questioned, an officer was quoted as saying.

Earlier, the boy’s father alleged that neither KISS authorities nor the KIMS hospital provided medical treatment papers, discharge summaries, or any written explanation regarding his son’s death. He alleged that no post-mortem examination was conducted before the body was handed over.

As per the report, the Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights had cautioned that strict action would be taken against the KISS administration if the child’s death was found to be due to unnatural causes.