Locked Overnight: 8-Year-Old Girl Trapped in Classroom Window for 18 Hours in Odisha
Bhubaneswar, Odisha – In a harrowing incident that has sparked concern over school safety protocols, an eight-year-old girl in Odisha’s Keonjhar district was found stuck in the iron grills of her classroom window after being locked inside the school overnight. The child, Jyotsna Dehury, a Class 2 student, remained trapped for nearly 18 hours before she was rescued early Friday morning.
The shocking incident unfolded on Thursday afternoon at a government-run school in Keonjhar. Jyotsna, reportedly feeling drowsy after lunch, fell asleep on one of the classroom benches. When school hours ended, her absence went unnoticed due to a lapse in the school’s routine safety checks.
According to Sanjita Das, Jyotsna’s class teacher, the school’s cook, who usually performs a final round of checks before locking up, was absent that day due to heavy rains. “Instead, we instructed two senior students from Class 7 to lock the classrooms,” Das said. “It appears they didn’t notice Jyotsna sleeping. They turned off the lights, shut the windows, and locked the doors before leaving.”
When Jyotsna awoke in the locked classroom, panic set in. In a desperate attempt to escape, she tried to squeeze through the iron grills of the window. Her head, however, got stuck in the narrow bars. For 18 hours, the terrified child remained trapped, unable to move or call for help.
Back home, her mother, Jhunu Dehury, returned from work at around 9 PM and found her daughter missing. “When I asked the neighborhood children, they said she was asleep in school earlier. I assumed she may have gone to a friend’s house,” she recalled. “But when she didn’t return in the morning, I rushed to the school.”
On Friday morning, school staff opened the classroom and were shocked to discover Jyotsna wedged in the window grill, exhausted and frightened but conscious. Villagers quickly gathered, and with a combined effort, bent the iron bars to free the girl. She was immediately rushed to a local hospital, where doctors confirmed she was stable after initial treatment.
Sita Patra, the school cook who was absent on Thursday, expressed deep regret over the incident. “If I had been present, I would have ensured every classroom was checked thoroughly,” she said.
The disturbing case has prompted swift administrative action. Keonjhar District Collector Vishal Singh suspended school headmaster Gourahari Mahanta for dereliction of duty. “It is unacceptable that a child was left behind and suffered like this. We are reviewing the protocols to ensure such an incident is never repeated,” Singh stated.
Local authorities have also assured that a full inquiry will be conducted, and safety measures in all government schools in the district will be reevaluated. There is now growing pressure from parents and education advocates to implement better headcounts, mandatory checks, and teacher accountability at the end of the school day.
While Jyotsna is recovering, the emotional trauma of the ordeal lingers. Her story is a grim reminder of how simple lapses in school safety can lead to frightening consequences. The villagers, however, praised her resilience and the quick actions of those who helped rescue her.
As schools continue to be sanctuaries of learning and growth, it is critical they also remain safe environments—where no child gets left behind.