Bhubaneswar: The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has sought a detailed report from the Odisha government and decided to conduct an inquiry into the alleged murder of a 14-year-old tribal student at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) in Bhubaneswar.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the incident based on media reports, the NCST on Thursday invoked its powers under Article 338A of the Constitution of India to probe the circumstances surrounding the death of the Class 9 student from Keonjhar district.
In notices issued to the Home Department, School and Mass Education Department, ST & SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department, the Director General of Police, Commissioner of Police, and the Khurda district collector, the Commission directed authorities to submit a detailed factual report within three days.
The NCST warned that failure to comply within the stipulated time could compel it to exercise civil court powers, including summoning officials to appear before the Commission.
The Commission’s intervention comes in the wake of the Odisha Police taking eight KISS officials and three students into custody in connection with the boy’s death. Among those arrested are an additional CEO of KISS and two teachers, who have been accused of allegedly suppressing information and attempting to project the incident as an accidental death.
The three students accused of involvement in the case have been produced before the Juvenile Justice Board as children in conflict with the law.
Commissioner of Police S. Dev Datta Singh had earlier stated that the boy was strangulated to death by his classmates on the night of December 11, and that certain officials allegedly tried to portray the incident as a bathroom accident.
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram expressed deep concern over the incident, describing it as “unfortunate and condemnable.”
“Such incidents are being repeated at KISS. The authorities should remain vigilant and take preventive measures,” Oram said, while expressing confidence that the investigation would be impartial.
The Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR) also visited the institute and recommended that police probe the role of doctors at KIMS, a hospital run by the same group that manages KISS.
OSCPCR chairperson Babita Patra said doctors had allegedly informed the boy’s father that the death was due to a fall in the bathroom, a claim later found to be incorrect during the police investigation.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das, in a post on X, alleged a deliberate attempt to suppress the crime and demanded the arrest of all those involved, including doctors and hostel authorities.
Keonjhar BJP MP Ananta Nayak also demanded strict action against those responsible for the killing, stressing the need for accountability and justice for the victim’s family.
