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Odisha Halts Pay for Five Teachers After School Fire Injures Four Students

Preliminary police findings point to thinner ignited by students, with one child in critical care.

Overview

  • The School and Mass Education Department froze the salaries of five teachers and issued show-cause notices, ordering a departmental inquiry into possible negligence.
  • Police recorded statements from injured students and staff and say early evidence indicates a fire on the school roof or balcony intensified when thinner was poured onto it.
  • Three injured students are being treated in Rayagada while one has been shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack after earlier referrals through local facilities.
  • A mother of an injured child disputes the police account, alleging a deliberate act by a student named Binod, a claim authorities say remains under investigation.
  • The headmaster lodged a police complaint as officials assess supervision on campus and how a bottle of flammable thinner was accessible to students.