The death of a Sainik School student in Kodagu has been shrouded in mystery and it has triggered a protest by the local community.
N.P. Chingappa of Moovathoklu village was found unconscious in the school washroom on Saturday. The school is located at Kudige near Kushalnagar in Kodagu district.
The school staff who discovered Chingappa, a student of class 9, rushed him to the local primary health centre at Kudige where he was declared dead around 8 p.m.
His father Naganda T. Poovaiah, an ex-serviceman, is a hockey coach at the same school.
Meanwhile, sources said that the boy was castigated for an act of indiscipline by one of the teachers on Saturday morning following which he disappeared. A search was launched and his father was also informed about it around 6 p.m. Later, Chingappa was found in the washroom.
The parents of Chingappa and people from his native village staged a demonstration at the Madikeri hospital mortuary on Sunday seeking a probe and suspected that the boy was murdered.
They also raised slogans seeking the presence of the school principal.
Local leaders, including Sunil Subramani, MLC, who reached the hospital, pacified the public assuring them of a comprehensive investigation to ascertain the cause of death.
Pratap Simha, Mysuru MP, said that he has brought the issue to the notice of the Defence Ministry and he will visit Kodagu to seek a probe into the boy’s death.
Superintendent of Police of Kodagu Rajendra Prasad said since the school principal R.R. Lal had gone out of town, other staff members are being questioned.
Mr. Poovaiah has lodged a complaint with the Kushalnagar police accusing five persons of the school of harassing his son.
Meanwhile, the post-mortem was completed on Sunday and the mortal remains of Chingappa was handed over to the parents.
The jurisdictional police of Kushalnagar said that the cause of death would be known only once the post-mortem reports are available and they expect to get it by Monday.
Inspector Kyategowda said that no arrests had been made so far though preliminary investigations are on.