Headmaster forces students to work

BALASORE: Authorities of a Sanskrit school have been accused of engaging tribal students in farming activities during school hours. The students were captured on camera by locals while working in the paddy fields of a Class IV employee of the institution.According to the allegation, nearly 30 students of Ganeswar Sanskrit School, about 500 metres from Oupada block office in Balasore district, were engaged in planting  paddy saplings in the field of Natabar Panigrahi on Friday.The students who stay in the school hostel said the school headmaster had engaged them in the work against their will. They alleged that he had threatened them with  stopping food if they did not work accordingly.Over 150 students study in the school.“Our headmaster asked us to plant saplings in the field. This is not for the first time that we were asked to do so,” alleged a student.The incident has got flak from various quarters with the civil society members demanding action against the erring school authorities.  Headmaster Ganeswar Sahu admitted to have engaged the students in paddy field but denied having threatened to stop their meals. “Waste water from the school hostel had damaged the paddy field so I had asked them to plant the saplings,” he said.Locals alleged that though the Block Welfare Officer Prasanna Dash rushed to the school hostel to inquire into the matter, nothing about the school headmaster was reported.Oupada BDO Srikanta Tarai said he would look into the allegation and take  action against the guilty.