Bhubaneswar/Balasore: The 20-year-old Odisha college student who set herself ablaze over an alleged sexual harassment by a professor died, triggering nationwide outrage.
The father of the deceased held members of her college’s Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) “solely responsible” for his daughter’s death, accusing them of preparing a “biased report” in connection with her allegation which led her to set herself on fire on the campus July 12.
While Chief Minister Mohan Charan Mahji expressed grief over the student’s death by self-immolation and announced that all culprits will face the strictest punishment, non-BJP leaders such as Rahul Gandhi of the Congress and BJD president Naveen Patnaik termed the incident an “organised murder by the system”.
The opposition parties called for a bandh in the state July 17 to protest the incident.
The second-year Integrated B.Ed student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore set herself ablaze shortly after coming out of the principal’s chamber, alleging inaction over her complaint against the professor.
The student who suffered 95 per cent burns was first admitted to the Balasore District Headquarters Hospital and then shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for advanced treatment.
She was declared dead hours after President Droupadi Murmu visited her at the burn unit ICU.
“The patient was on mechanical ventilation. Despite adequate resuscitation and all possible supportive management, including renal replacement therapy at the Burns ICU, she could not be revived and was declared clinically dead at 11:46 pm on July 14,” the AIIMS Bhubaneswar’s Department of Burn Centre said in a statement on Tuesday.
Condoling the death, the CM announced an ex-gratia of Rs 20 lakh for the family of the deceased student.
“I assure the family that all those guilty in this case will face the strictest punishment as per the law. For this, I have issued instructions to the authorities. The government stands firmly by the family,” Majhi said in a statement.
Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida visited the hospital Monday night to console the family members of the victim.
The administration conducted the postmortem examination of the body Monday night and sent it to her native place in Basta area of Balasore district amid the protests by the opposition party activists.
The funeral of the woman was conducted before noon Tuesday in presence of thousands of people, including the Balasore MP.
The deceased’s father blamed the college’s Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) which, in its report, gave a clean chit to the accused head of the department, following which the student was pressurised to withdraw her complaint.
“My daughter would have been alive today if the ICC had done a proper probe into her allegation,” the father said.
The student, in her complaint to the ICC on July 1, mentioned that the teacher asked for “favour” from her, refusal of which invited mental harassment.
“Let the ICC members come under the purview of the investigation,” her father said.
Her mother said she hopes that her daughter’s death will ensure the safety of other female students in colleges and schools.
“I hope the system will improve following the death of my daughter,” she said.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi termed the death as nothing less than an “organised murder by the system”.
Gandhi questioned the “silence” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the atrocities against women in Odisha and Manipur.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, however, said on X: “The cheap politics played by Rahul Gandhi and Congress on the tragic incident involving Odisha’s daughter is extremely unfortunate. Turning a serious and sensitive matter into a political weapon reflects @RahulGandhi’s petty mindset.”
Odisha’s Leader of Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik said, “A failed system can take life, it’s a planned injustice.”
The former chief minister pointed out that the student had written to the college principal, informing him about the sexual harassment she had faced.
“Even after being ignored by the college authorities, she did not give up. To seek justice, she reached out to the higher education minister, the Chief Minister’s Office, and even a Union minister,” Patnaik said.
If even one person had taken responsibility and intervened personally, perhaps the girl’s life could have been saved, the BJD chief said.
Patnaik urged the Governor to ensure that not only the college authorities but also those in power, who allegedly failed to take any action despite the victim’s desperate pleas, are held accountable.
Opposition Congress, the Left and four other parties called an Odisha Bandh July 17.
The BJD activists held a candlelight rally in the state capital Tuesday evening and announced to gherao Lok Seva Bhawan, the state secretariat, Wednesday.
The student’s father, however, urged all not to politicise the matter.
“My daughter is gone. I appeal to all—please don’t use her for political gain. However, I will keep fighting so that she gets justice,” he said.
The father said he received a message from the CM, assuring him of a proper investigation.
The Police have so far arrested Principal Dillip Ghose and accused teacher Samira Kumar Sahoo on charges of abetment to suicide and sexual harassment.
The police have also set up a swift trial initiative (STI) team to expedite the probe into the student’s death, an officer said.
PTI
