The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has issued a letter to the secretary of the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) department, requesting a compliance report regarding an order issued on November 24, 2025. In that order, the OHRC directed a residential school for deaf and mute children in Bhubaneswar to pay Rs 5 lakh in compensation for the death of a 15-year-old student in 2019.
Background of the Case
The case was filed by Tusar Kanta Mahanta in 2020. The victim, a Class VI student from a school at Khandagiri, fell ill on January 17, 2019, with symptoms of dysentery and vomiting. The school authorities claimed they took him to Capital Hospital in the morning and again in the afternoon when his condition worsened. He was declared dead at the hospital around 4 pm that day.
However, after examining hospital records and testimony from the Capital Hospital director, the OHRC found no evidence that the child was taken for treatment in the morning, contradicting the school's claims. The commission rejected the OPD prescription produced by the school, terming it doubtful and unauthenticated.
Medical Findings and Negligence
Doctors confirmed that the boy suffered from a congenital heart defect and ruled out medical negligence by the hospital. However, the commission observed lapses by the residential school, noting that timely medical intervention could have altered the outcome. The physically challenged child from Keonjhar district had been studying at the school since 2011.
Holding the school solely responsible, the OHRC recommended compensation of Rs 5 lakh to be paid by the school to the boy's father within two months. However, the school did not pay the amount within the timeline. The order has been forwarded to the concerned state government departments for compliance within two months.
Recent Developments
After receiving the letter from the OHRC, the SSEPD department on Thursday asked the Khurda district collector to inquire into the matter and verify whether the compensation amount has been paid by the school authorities to the boy's father. It also asked the collector to furnish an action taken report at the earliest for submission to the OHRC.
Following this direction, the Khurda collector's office has issued a letter to the authorities of the concerned school to pay the compensation amount and submit the acknowledgment receipt, said an official from the Khurda collectorate on Friday.
