NCST to probe suspected murder of tribal boy on KISS campus

The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) on Thursday announced that it would investigate the alleged murder of a minor tribal student by three of his hostel mates at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), which claims to provide education to nearly 30,000 tribal students on its Bhubaneswar campus.

The NCST has issued notices directing the Home, School and Mass Education, and Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Departments to furnish information on the incident. In addition, the Director General of Police, the Commissionerate of Police for Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, and the District Collector of Khordha have been asked to submit details on developments in the case.

“The Commission has decided to investigate/inquire into the matter in pursuance of the powers conferred upon it under Article 338A of the Constitution of India. You are hereby requested to submit the facts and information on the action taken on the said allegations to the Commission within three days of receipt of this notice,” the NCST said in a letter to six offices.

It may be noted that the Odisha police on Wednesday arrested eight employees of KISS for allegedly suppressing information related to the suspected killing of a Class IX student by fellow hostellers.

KISS, founded by former Biju Janata Dal MP Achyuta Samanta, is widely described as the world’s largest residential educational institution for tribal children. Three students allegedly involved in the death were also detained and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board as children in conflict with the law.

Commissioner of Police S. Debadatta Singh had said that after a detailed investigation and questioning of hostel inmates, there were sufficient grounds to believe that it was a case of murder.

“The deceased had a quarrel with the accused students, who were reportedly known for bullying as a group. Over a trivial issue, the victim was brutally assaulted and later strangulated,” Mr. Singh said.

The preliminary investigation found that KISS authorities had allegedly threatened witnesses not to reveal anything about the incident and attempted to destroy evidence. The Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights took a strong stance, demanding action against doctors who allegedly issued a false medical report to convince the victim’s parents that he had died of cardiac arrest.