Baripada: Tension ran high in Manida Kanyashram of Rasgovindpur block of Mayurbhanj district today following the death of a Class 8 girl student last night under mysterious circumstances at her hostel.
The deceased girl has been identified as Babita Das, a resident of Jaladiha village under Bangiriposhi Police Station of the same district.
Babita, who was pursuing her study in the Kanyashram, a residential school for girls, reportedly fell sick last evening and started vomiting. The school authorities immediately rushed the girl to Rasagovindpur Community Health Centre (CHC) but she succumbed while being shifted to Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital.
However, soon after the death of the girl her family members alleged negligence on the part of the school authorities and staged protest teaming up with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) members at the hospital. They claimed, when they contacted the headmaster of the school over the matter he was found in an inebriated condition and appeared apathetic towards the incident.
Meanwhile, the JMM has demanded suitable compensation to the family of the deceased along with stringent action against the accused headmaster for dereliction of duty.
On the other hand Rasgovidpur WEO Harapriya Samal, who visited the hospital to take stock of the situation, dubbed liquor consumption as a personal matter of the headmaster and claimed that the school authorities took timely steps to rush the ailing girl to hospital.
Ms Kalinga