Student Injured During Sports Competition; District Administration Suspends Officer

The collector said that the district administration would bear all medical expensesBalangir:The district education officer (DEO) of Subarnapur on Friday suspended the district sports officer (DSO) Jyotikant Bhoi for gross dereliction of duty, after a student was severely injured during a sports competition, forcing his mother to pawn the family’s ration card to fund his treatment.The incident came to light after the Class VIII student in Dunguripali block fractured his arm during a high-jump event at his school on Thursday. Following the accident, he was rushed to the district headquarters hospital (DHH). With no immediate assistance from the school or district administration, the student’s family, facing a financial crisis, was forced to pawn their ration card to a villager for Rs 4,000 to cover immediate treatment costs.A video of the incident quickly went viral, drawing widespread public criticism and forcing the administration to act.Taking cognisance of the matter, district collector Nruparaj Sahu visited the injured student in the hospital. Assuring the family of full support, the collector said that the district administration would bear all medical expenses. Subsequently, the DEO’s office issued the suspension order for Bhoi, holding him directly accountable for the lapse.“The action was taken against the officer concerned after a proper inquiry into the issue. The suspension was issued for dereliction of duty by the DSO,” stated DEO Minarani Mangala. The suspension order has also prompted a departmental review of safety measures and emergency protocols at all govt-sponsored student competitions to prevent recurrence of such an incident.