KISS Student Death: Police Allege Murder Over Spilt Dal, Eight Officials Arrested. India News

The death of a 14-year-old class 9 student at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) in Bhubaneswar has taken a dramatic turn, with police alleging that he was murdered by three classmates, contradicting the institute’s initial claim that he died after slipping in a hostel bathroom.

According to a Hindustan Times report, the victim, Siba Munda, a resident of Tikargumura village in Keonjhar, passed away on 12 December at KIMS Medical College and Hospital in Bhubaneswar. His family had staged a protest outside the Keonjhar collectorate, accusing the residential school authorities of concealing facts and failing to provide medical records explaining the cause of death.

According to a police complaint filed by Siba’s father, Raghunath Munda, KISS authorities had informed him on 9 December that his son had fallen ill and been admitted to the hospital.

However, investigators from Infocity police station, which is handling the case, allege that the boy was assaulted and strangulated in a hostel washroom following a dispute over spilled dal. Officers said that three classmates allegedly beat Siba before strangling him.

“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, requesting anonymity, said as per the report.

Three minors have been apprehended and produced before the juvenile justice board in Khurda district; all three have been sent to a correctional home. KISS officials declined to comment on the incident or the detentions when approached by the media.

In a press briefing, Bhubaneswar Commissioner of Police Suresh Devdutt Singh stated that eight KISS officials, including additional CEO Pramod Patra and several teachers, have been arrested for allegedly intimidating witnesses and attempting to conceal the crime. Seven doctors who treated the boy are also being questioned.

Earlier, Raghunath Munda had alleged that neither KISS nor KIMS hospital provided medical records, discharge summaries, or any written explanation regarding his son’s death. He claimed that no post-mortem was conducted before the body was handed over to the family.

The Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights had previously warned that strict action would be taken against the KISS administration if the child’s death was found to be unnatural.