'Will commit suicide': Odisha student warned before self-immolation over harassment
What's the story
A 22-year-old woman student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore, Odisha, died on Friday, three days after she set herself on fire over inaction on her sexual harassment complaint against a professor. The incident took place outside the principal's office and she suffered 95% burns. She was undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar but succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday.
Reports
She had written to college's internal complaints committee
Following her death, reports have surfaced that she wrote to the college's internal complaints committee, warning that she would die by suicide if no action was taken against the professor. "For the last few months, the HoD of BEd department, Assistant Professor Samir Kumar Sahu, has been harassing me mentally. He is always threatening me that he will ensure I fail. Most importantly, the HoD is repeatedly asking for sexual favors....I have denied this continuously," she wrote in the letter.
Letter
'HoD and the college authority will be responsible'
In the letter, she further wrote that she had lost her mental peace over the harassment and even attempted suicide. "In the future, if the college authority does not take any action, I will commit suicide and the HoD and the college authority will be responsible," she wrote. Four days after the letter, she set herself on fire while protesting outside the gate of the college along with other fellow students. She suffered 95% burns.
Legal action
Letter to internal complaints committee
The student was initually admitted to Balasore district hospital but later shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar, where she died. "The patient was resuscitated with IV fluids, IV antibiotics, intubated and put on mechanical ventilation. Despite adequate resuscitation and all possible supportive management, including renal replacement therapy at the Burns ICU, she could not be revived," AIIMS said in a statement. The accused pofessor has since been arrested along with Principal Dilip Ghose.
Community reaction
Victim's body taken to village
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed his condolences and assured that those responsible "will face the strictest punishment as per the law." The victim's body was taken to her village Palasia in Balasore district. Opposition parties like BJD and Congress have demanded justice for the victim, alleging systemic failure led to her suicide. They criticized the college authorities for not taking timely action on her complaints against Sahu.