Odisha college student dies after self-immolation over inaction on harassment complaint
The students also claimed that despite submitting multiple formal complaints to both the college principal and police, no significant action was taken.
PTC News Desk: In a horrific incident, a woman college student hailing from Odisha died on Monday night after succumbing to injuries caused by self-immolation over inaction on harrassment complaint.
The second-year Integrated BEd student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, Balasore, succumbed to her injuries at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar after battling for her life for three days.
The victim set her ablaze following alleged sexual harassment by a professor and suffered 95 per cent burns.
She took the drastic step after her repeated complaints of sexual harassment by her Head of Department allegedly went unaddressed by the principal and college authorities.
The Department of Burn Centre, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, said in a statement that the student was brought to the casualty on July 12 after being referred from the Balasore District Headquarters Hospital.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed his grief and assured strict action against the perpetrators. "
I am deeply saddened to hear the news of the demise of the female student from FM Autonomous College," Majhi posted on X. "Despite the government's fulfilment of all responsibilities and the tireless efforts of the expert medical team, the victim's life could not be saved."
According to the fellow students, the woman had been dealing with mental distress owing to rampant harassments by the head of the department, Sameer Kumar Sahoo who allegedly threatened the victim of academic consequences if she didn't comply with his demands.
The students also claimed that despite submitting multiple formal complaints to both the college principal and police, no significant action was taken.