27 Class 9 students beaten up by seniors

Twenty-seven Class 9 students of an Odisha government-run residential school were allegedly beaten up by senior Class 10 students in Rayagada district, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place on Sunday in the hostel of the Government High School, Ravilkona, run by the ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backwards Classes Welfare Department. However, it came to light on Tuesday when the school headmaster lodged a police complaint against the senior students at Chandili police station, a police officer said.

A group of Class 10 students scolded the junior students because they were late returning from the playground on Sunday. As the juniors objected, the senior group started beating them, he said. When the junior students complained about this matter to the school authority, the Class 10 students again assaulted the juniors using wooden bats, the official said.

When police personnel reached the school, the senior students had fled the spot, he added. Meanwhile, the department authority has started an investigation after coming to know about the incident. The Rayagada district administration has issued a show-cause notice to the headmaster of the school, said a senior officer.