A shocking incident inside a government school in Odisha's Balasore district has left an entire village on edge after a stray dog attacked a student on school grounds. The boy was walking towards the toilet when the dog suddenly lunged at him, biting off one of his fingers and leaving deep wounds on his hand and leg before he was rushed to hospital.
Where and how the attack happened
The incident took place at Satyanarayan Government Nodal High School in Rasalpur village, under the Khantapada police station limits in Balasore district. The student was on his way to the school toilet when a stray dog roaming the campus suddenly attacked him, clamping down on one of his fingers and biting it off. As the boy tried to escape, the dog also mauled his hand and leg, leaving gashes with its claws and teeth. Teachers on campus were alerted soon after the attack, triggering panic across the school.
Rushed to hospital in Cuttack
As the student's condition worsened, the school administration moved quickly to get him to a nearby hospital, where doctors gave him first aid before referring him to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for further treatment. He was sent to Cuttack in a government ambulance and remains under treatment there. Given the family's weak financial background, the school also stepped in to provide monetary help to the injured student's family.
Anger among parents and villagers
The attack left the entire school campus in a state of tension. As news spread, it sparked outrage among students, parents and villagers in the area. Residents questioned how a stray dog had managed to enter the school campus in the first place and why no measures were in place to keep children safe from such threats. Villagers accused the school administration of negligence and demanded concrete steps to protect young children from any repeat of such an incident. Angry residents staged a protest outside the school and locked its main gate, demanding an immediate, permanent arrangement to stop stray dogs from entering the premises so that children could study in a safe environment.
Headmaster explains what happened
Headmaster Rajendra Patra gave a detailed account of how the day unfolded, saying he was teaching a class 10 lesson at around 12:45 pm when he received a call from a class 3 teacher asking him to come urgently, as a child's condition had turned critical and needed to be rushed to hospital. Patra said, "I immediately went to the spot with a fellow teacher, after which we went to the hospital." He said doctors advised shifting the child to SCB Hospital in Cuttack after first aid, following which a government ambulance was arranged to send him there. He added that the school assured the injured boy's parents of full support and, given their poor financial condition, also extended financial assistance to the family. Patra said that when he reached school around 9 am the next morning, other teachers soon informed him that angry villagers had locked the gate.
Gate reopened, but demand for safety continues
After the school administration and local officials appealed to the villagers, the lock on the gate was eventually removed, but anger over child safety on campus has not subsided. Parents continue to demand that the school put in place solid safety arrangements and find a lasting solution to the presence of stray dogs on the premises. Meanwhile, the injured student remains under treatment at SCB Hospital in Cuttack, with his condition being monitored.
