Jajpur: Minor students with skin disease asked to vacate hostel

Jajpur: At least six students of a residential Sanskrit school at Chitalo, under Jajpur Town police limits, in the district were rescued from near Biraja temple in the district headquarters town after they reportedly fled the hostel due to spread of skin infection on Sunday.

Some locals in association with media personnel rescued the minors and handed them over to the local child line officials.

The rescued minor children are students of Rakshyakali Sanskrit School. They are all aged between 10 and 12 years and hail from Keonjhar district. They all were staying in the school hostel. The students are suffering from scabies. They were asked by the headmaster to leave the hostel to prevent the infection from spreading.

They were rescued while they were walking to the bus- stand to board a bus to go to their native village. "We saw six minor children with bags on their backs walking near Biraja temple. When we inquired, they revealed they are students of Sanskrit school and going home in Keonjhar as their school authorities asked them to vacate the hostel," said Rabindra Moharana, a local.

The locals and some media people stopped them and informed the local child line. The child line officials reached the spot and rescued six children. "On being informed, we reached the spot and rescued all students. They were on their way to the bus stand and wanted to go home by bus. We provided them treatment and will hand them over to CWC," said an official.

When contacted, headmaster Manoranjan Pradhan said the students were asked to go home as skin disease is infectious. "They all are suffering from skin diseases. As skin infection is transmissible, we had a discussion with parents. We had asked the guardians to take their wards home to prevent the infection from spreading," Pradhan added.