The mysterious death of 14-year-old Siba Munda, a Class 9 student at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) in Bhubaneswar, has taken a dark and criminal turn. What was initially reported by school authorities as an accidental slip in a hostel bathroom has been officially confirmed as a brutal murder by the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police.
On Wednesday, Police Commissioner S. Dev Datta Singh revealed that the teen was assaulted and strangled to death by three of his own classmates on the night of December 11, following a trivial dispute over a bathroom bucket.
The “Joker Gang” and the Throttling Incident
The investigation uncovered a chilling subculture within the hostel. The three accused students, all minors, were reportedly part of a self-styled “Joker Gang,” a name they had even scrawled on the hostel walls.
- The Conflict: On the night of December 11, Siba Munda reportedly refused to hand over a bucket in the toilet block to the accused students.
- The Assault: In retaliation, the three classmates brutally assaulted, throttled, and eventually strangled Siba with a hard ligature material.
- The Evidence: The post-mortem report confirmed external injuries on the neck consistent with compression and homicidal violence, completely contradicting the institute’s “cardiac arrest” and “accidental fall” theories.
The Institutional Cover-Up: 8 Officials Arrested
The police have accused the KISS administration of orchestrating an extensive cover-up to protect the institute’s reputation.
“KISS made every attempt to cover up. Instead of informing the police, they misled the parents and intimidated minor witnesses,” said Commissioner Singh.
The following actions led to the arrest of 8 KISS officials:
- Fabricating Evidence: Officials allegedly told the parents Siba died of a heart attack or a fall, and even fabricated a medical slip to that effect.
- Witness Intimidation: Teachers and staff reportedly threatened other hostel inmates—some of whom had witnessed the crime—to keep them from speaking to the police.
- Procedural Lapses: The body was handed over to the family without a post-mortem or police notification.
Arrested Officials Include:
- Pramod Patra (Additional CEO)
- Prasanna Kumar Malla (Senior Academic Coordinator)
- Rashmiranjan Nayak (Headmaster)
- Subhakanta Behera (Hostel Supervisor)
- …and four other staff members.
The Current Status
- The Accused Minors: The three students (Children in Conflict with Law) have been apprehended and sent to a correctional home after being produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.
- KIMS Hospital Scrutiny: Seven doctors from KIMS Medical College, where Siba was declared dead, are being questioned for potential negligence and for failing to alert the police regarding the suspicious nature of the death.
- Judicial Custody: The eight arrested KISS officials have been remanded to judicial custody.
The case has sparked massive outrage across Odisha, with the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR) initiating an independent inquiry into the safety protocols of the world’s largest residential school for tribal children.