Bhubaneswar , India, July 15 (Reuters) – A 20-year-old student in India’s eastern state of Odisha died late Monday night after setting herself on fire on a college campus, accusing authorities of ignoring her repeated complaints of sexual harassment by a teacher, officials said.
The student, who was pursuing a B.Ed. degree at Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore, had set herself ablaze outside the principal’s office on July 12, after claiming that no action was taken on her grievances. She was undergoing treatment at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, where doctors declared her dead at 11:46 p.m. on July 14, according to a hospital bulletin.
Despite intensive care, including renal replacement therapy at the burns ICU, she could not be revived, the hospital said.
Following the incident, college teacher Samir Sahu and principal Dillip Ghosh were arrested. The state government has also launched a wider probe.
The death triggered widespread political condemnation. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed grief and assured the family that “all those guilty will face the strictest punishment under law.” In a post on social media platform X, Majhi said he had issued personal instructions to authorities to ensure justice.
Earlier on Monday, President Droupadi Murmu, who was in Bhubaneswar to attend a convocation at AIIMS, visited the student at the hospital. She was accompanied by Majhi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Opposition parties, including the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Congress, have called for a judicial inquiry into the matter. Protests erupted across the state on Tuesday (July 15), with BJD workers burning effigies of Majhi and Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj.
A ruckus broke out at AIIMS Bhubaneswar during the post-mortem, with BJD and Congress supporters alleging the government was rushing the process to suppress facts. The student’s body was later transported under tight security to Bhogarai in Balasore, where last rites were performed in the presence of thousands of mourners.
The National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Women have taken cognisance of the incident. A separate investigation is being conducted by the Women and Children Wing of Odisha’s Crime Branch.
The case has brought attention to the lack of Internal Complaint Committees (ICCs) in colleges, which are mandated under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013. In response, the state government has directed all colleges to form ICCs within 24 hours.
Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampat has sought a detailed report from authorities regarding the incident. The student’s family has alleged that she reached out to multiple authorities for redressal, but no concrete action was taken, leading her to take the extreme step.
