In yet another incident of drowning during Ganesh idol immersion, a Class-VIII boy drowned in a pond at Sialabandha village of Patnagarh in the district on Tuesday.
The deceased identified as Rupananda Saha, was a student at the Sialabandha Primary School.
Sources said Rupananda along with three other students had gone to a nearby pond in the morning to immerse the idol which was worshiped at school on the occasion of Ganesh Puja. During the immersion, he slipped into deep water and drowned.
Following this incident, tension prevailed in the village as the locals locked the gates of the school.
The villagers are angry that no teacher or staff of the school accompanied the students.
However, the school Head Master said the PET teacher had accompanied the students. But when asked, the concerned teacher said he had gone to the spot only after the student drowned.
