Unheeded complaints drive Odisha school students to highway blockade

Bhubaneswar, Oct 10 (UNI)Allegations of principal's misconduct, caste-based discrimination and poor facilities triggered a massive student protest in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district on Saturday, with around 500 students of Shyamsundarpur Eklavya Model Residential School marching over 10 km and blocking NH-49 for more than five hours, bringing traffic to a standstill. The protesting students accused principal Sujat Naik of misbehaving with boys and girls and using abusive language. They also alleged caste-based discrimination, poor-quality food and delays in providing uniforms. Claiming that repeated complaints had gone unheeded, they marched to Bangiriposi to seek the block development officer's intervention. The blockade left…