Class 2 Girl Student Locked in Classroom Overnight, Headmaster Suspended

PTI | August 22, 2025  Bhubaneswar:Villagers in Odisha's Keonjhar district on Friday rescued an eight-year-old girl student whose head got stuck in a window grill of a government school where she was left locked overnight, police said.

The incident took place at the Government Upper Primary School at Anjar under Banspal block in Keonjhar district. The Class 2 student, identified as Jyotsna Dehuri (8), was left locked inside the classroom while she was sleeping on one of the benches, said Sanjita Das, one of the teachers.

The family members said that their daughter did not return home from school on Thursday and they searched for her all night. However, they, along with some villagers, went to the school early in the morning and found that the girl's head had got stuck in the window grill and she was screaming for help.

"The villagers bent the iron grill and rescued the girl. She was immediately rushed to the local hospital. Her condition was stable after treatment," said Sita Patra, the cook of the school.

As the door of the classroom was locked from outside, she had to spend the night in the classroom, and her head got stuck in the grill while attempting to escape from the closed room.

Taking the incident seriously, the district administration has suspended headmaster (in charge) Gourahari Mahanta.

As per the direction of Keonjhar Collector Vishal Singh, the Banspal Block Education Officer (BEO) issued the suspension order of the headmaster on charges of negligence in duty and launched a probe into the incident.

A video of the girl's head getting stuck in the window went viral, sparking strong resentment across the state. The School and Mass Education Department has confirmed that the child is safe and recovering.

The preliminary inquiry by the District Education Officer (DEO) into the matter revealed that some Class 8 students were told to lock the school at 4 pm.