Tragedy in The Dormitory: Odisha Hostel Glue Attack Exposes Deep Gaps in Boarding School Safeguarding
Physical Abuse
Introduction
In what has been described as a chilling breach of child safety, eight students were hospitalized after fellow hostel mates poured instant glue into their eyes while they slept at a boarding school in Salaguda, Kandhamal District, in India’s eastern state of Odisha.
The shocking incident, which occurred on the night of Friday, September 12, 2025, has triggered nationwide outrage and urgent questions about how children could be attacked under the watch of a school that has full-time custody of them.
While doctors worked to carefully separate the students’ glued eyelids, NDTV reported that although the adhesive caused significant eye damage, prompt medical attention may prevent permanent vision loss. The state government has ordered a high-level inquiry, and the school’s headmaster has been suspended for negligence of duty.
But this is more than a disciplinary issue, it is a wake-up call about the systemic safeguarding failures in schools.
The Incident: When Safety Failed
- The attack occurred at night while the victims were asleep in their dormitory.
- No staff member was reportedly present on duty in the hostel at the time.
- The injured boys were found crying in pain as doctors attempted to open their glued-shut eyes.
- Parents and authorities were only alerted after the harm had already occurred.
- The incident exposed glaring gaps in supervision, preparedness, and safeguarding culture.
Key question: How could such a dangerous act occur unnoticed in a school-run hostel where children are meant to be under constant care?
Duty of Care and In Loco Parentis: Schools as Primary Parents
Boarding schools are not just places of learning, they serve as children’s homes for months at a time. This places them in the legal and moral position of “in loco parentis”; in the place of a parent.
This carries a high duty of care:
- protecting children from foreseeable harm,
- maintaining round-the-clock supervision,
- ensuring safe living conditions,
- and responding immediately and effectively to emergencies.
Where supervision is missing and foreseeable harm occurs, the school may be found negligent. Suspending staff after a tragedy is not enough, the duty is to prevent harm, not just react to it.
Cracks in the Hostel Safety Framework
The Salaguda case exposes common systemic lapses in boarding environments:
- Inadequate Supervision: No adult on night duty, no patrols or presence inside the hostel.
- Lack of Safeguarding Policies: Few or no rules about prohibited behaviours, dangerous pranks, or clear consequences.
- Training Deficits: Staff often lack training in child protection, conflict prevention, emergency response, or recognising early signs of bullying.
- Weak Accountability: Administrative action happens only after children are harmed, not before.
- Slow Crisis Response: No clear protocol for immediate medical care, evidence protection, and communication with families.
What Schools Must Do: Minimum Safeguarding Standards for Hostels
To prevent such tragedies, schools must embed child protection frameworks into the daily running of hostels, not just classrooms. Best practices include:
1. 24/7 Supervision
- A trained warden/houseparent must sleep in or adjacent to the hostel.
- Maintain night duty rosters, room checks, and patrols until morning.
2. Clear Safeguarding Rules
- Written anti-bullying and anti-violence policies visible in dormitories.
- Prohibition of harmful pranks and unsafe substances.
- Accessible complaint/reporting channels for students.
3. Trained and Screened Staff
- Mandatory safeguarding and child protection training before duty.
- Police and reference checks for all hostel staff.
- Annual refresher courses in supervision, first aid, crisis management.
4. Emergency Readiness
- First-aid kits, eyewash stations, and emergency response plans on every floor.
- Clear procedures for rapid medical treatment and parental notification.
5. Monitoring and Accountability
- Independent safety audits of hostel conditions each term.
- Real disciplinary consequences for negligence.
- Regular safety reports to school leadership and government authorities.
Conclusion
Eight children in Salaguda narrowly escaped permanent blindness because the adults entrusted with their care failed to protect them. This incident must not be seen as an isolated act of student misconduct, it is a symptom of systemic neglect.
Boarding schools hold children day and night, not just during lessons. They are not secondary carers; they are primary parents in practice and responsibility.
Until schools accept this truth and build systems of constant supervision, robust safeguarding policies, well-trained staff, and independent accountability, the same gaps that allowed this tragedy to happen will continue to place children at risk.
