"Will Commit Suicide": Odisha Woman's Warning 10 Days Before Self-Immolation
Eleven days before she set herself on fire, the 22-year-old student in Odisha's Balasore wrote to the college's internal complaints committee, accusing a senior faculty member of sexually harassing her and warning that she would die by suicide if no action is taken.
Early this morning, the second-year student of the integrated BEd course in Balasore's Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College died in AIIMS Bhubaneswar. She had suffered 95 per cent burns after she poured petrol and set herself afire outside the Principal's office.
Samir Kumar Sahu, Head of the Department of Education, whom the victim accused of sexual harassment, and the college's principal, Dilip Ghose, have been arrested.
In her July 1 letter to the college's internal complaints committee, the victim had demanded that a disciplinary committee be set up to investigate the allegations against Mr Sahu and take necessary action.
"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. He has also threatened to share my personal matters with my family. Most importantly, the HoD is repeatedly asking for sexual favours. I have denied this continuously. I have lost my mental peace and 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 in the letter.
Four days after the warning, the victim set herself on fire. She was first admitted to the Balasore district hospital and then shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
"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 and was declared clinically dead at 11:46 pm on July 14," AIIMS' Department of Burn Centre said in a statement.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Manjhi has expressed grief over the student's death and said all the culprits will face the strictest punishment under the law.
"I pray for the eternal peace of her departed soul. May Lord Jagannath grant strength to her family to bear this irreparable loss. I assure the family of the dead student that all those guilty in this case will face the strictest punishment as per the law. I have personally issued instructions to the authorities. The government stands firmly with the family," he said in a post on X.
President Droupadi Murmu, who was at AIIMS Bhubaneswar for its 5th convocation ceremony, paid an unscheduled visit to the burns department on Monday and enquired about the student's condition.
The 22-year-old's body was brought to her village, Palasia, in Balasore district early today. Tears rolled down the villagers' cheeks as the ambulance carrying the body drove in. Opposition BJD and Congress, which have been protesting against the state BJP government, have demanded justice for the victim and said she was forced to die by suicide because the system failed her.
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