Patna: Protests and tension erupted outside a residential school in Nalanda district on Saturday following the disappearance of a Class VIII student under suspicious circumstances. The student went missing after his father dropped him at the school on Friday.The school administration claimed that he drowned in Panchane River. His clothes were recovered from the bank of the river. His father has alleged that schoolteachers beat his son to death, demanding the arrest of the school director. However, the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s death remain unclear and the allegations are yet to be established. All teachers and staff of the school are absconding.The deceased has been identified as Anand Kumar (15), son of Alok Raj, a resident of Budhra village in Patna district.As soon as the body was found, the anger of family members erupted. Agitated people blocked the Biharsharif-Rajgir main road for three and a half hours. They staged a protest by placing the body in front of the school.Seeing the tension in the area, police from six police stations — Deepnagar, Laheri, Sohsarai, Pawapuri, Bihar and Nalanda — reached the school premises and the spot.Protesters were adamant in their demand for the arrest of the school director. The crowd also tried to forcibly enter the school, which was stopped by police. The protest was later pacified after an assurance of action by the administration.Nalanda Sadar CO Lakhendra Kumar said, “Right now the school has been closed. Children who were here have been taken by their families.”“The exact cause of death will be clear after the post-mortem report. The family has demanded strict action and the arrest of the school management. Raids are being carried out to nab the director and other teachers,” Deepnagar SHO Vimlesh Kumar said.
