A seemingly normal birthday request has turned into a haunting memory for a grieving family in Keonjhar, Odisha. Shiba Munda, a 14-year-old student, spoke to his parents hours before a fatal incident at his residential school, asking for cake and chocolates. The following day, he was dead, with his family alleging foul play and authorities providing vague explanations.
The Last Cheerful Conversation
On Thursday evening, around 7 pm, Shiba Munda, the eldest of three siblings, made his regular phone call home to his parents in Tikara Gumura under Mandua panchayat. Speaking to his father, Raghunath, a daily-wage earner, the Class IX student of KISS (Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences) in Bhubaneswar sounded perfectly fine. His birthday was on January 1, and he had a simple plan.
"Papa, my birthday is on January 1. I’ll celebrate with my friends here," Shiba said, as recalled by his mother, Jenamani. He asked for chocolates worth Rs 100. Knowing a cake couldn't be sent from Keonjhar, he requested Rs 500 instead, promising to ask the hostel authorities to arrange one locally. This small, cheerful conversation gave no indication of the tragedy that would unfold within hours.
A Vague Call and a Shocking Discovery
The next day, around 9 am, the family received a call from the institute. They were informed that Shiba had "fallen in the bathroom." Jenamani, sitting outside their tin-shed house, stated they did not apprehend anything disastrous at that moment. Raghunath immediately rushed to the hostel in Bhubaneswar, believing his son might have suffered a leg fracture.
He was tragically mistaken. By the time Raghunath reached, his son was already dead. "The authorities didn’t explain anything. They kept everything vague. Later, they said my son was no more," a distraught Jenamani recounted. The hospital handed over the body directly to the shocked father, who, alone and unable to process the event, brought his son's remains back to Keonjhar.
Injuries Spark Suspicion and Protest
The family's ordeal deepened when they received the body. "There were nail marks on his neck and chest and other injuries," Jenamani revealed, describing how the tightly packed body raised immediate red flags. This discovery shattered their initial belief in an accidental death and pointed towards a possible altercation or assault.
Convinced that something else had happened, the family, accompanied by local residents, approached the Keonjhar district collector's office demanding a thorough investigation and justice. Following their protest, the police registered a case, conducted an autopsy, and initiated a probe. Local protestors emphasized the need for compensation for the bereaved family, noting that some students and employees had been detained in connection with the incident.
Shiba had been studying at KISS since Class III and lived in the hostel. His two younger brothers, aged 10 and 4, study in local institutions in Keonjhar. The case has cast a shadow over the residential school, with the community seeking answers about the events of that fatal night and accountability for the young boy's untimely death.
