Woman Sets Herself on Fire Over Sexual Harassment in College

Balasore:  A second-year B.Ed student from Fakir Mohan College in Balasore is battling for her life after setting herself on fire inside the college campus, reportedly in protest over inaction against a teacher she had accused of sexual harassment.

The tragic incident occurred when the woman visited the office of the college principal, Dilip Ghosh, to follow up on her complaint against a faculty member who also heads the department she was in. She had previously filed a formal complaint on June 30, accusing the teacher identified as Samira Kumar Sahu of sexually harassing her.

According to her peers, the student had been under immense mental distress over the past few days, alleging that the administration had not taken concrete steps to address her complaint. She had also staged a week-long protest on campus, demanding action against the accused.

Principal Dilip Ghosh confirmed the sequence of events, stating, "The student came to me seeking immediate action against the teacher. I tried to counsel her, as she appeared extremely tense. An internal inquiry was already underway by the complaints committee."

In a horrifying turn, the student reportedly set herself ablaze shortly after the meeting. A fellow male student who rushed to her rescue sustained burn injuries as well. 

Both were immediately taken to the District Headquarters Hospital in Balasore. Later, the woman was referred to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for advanced treatment due to suffering 90% burn injuries.

Police confirmed that the accused teacher has been detained at Sahadevkhunta Police Station, and senior officials, including SP Raj Prasad and a forensic team, have begun an on-site investigation. 

SP Raj Prasad says, "In the case of a female student who attempted self-immolation, prima facie evidence has been established against a teacher. He has been arrested and forwarded to the court. This student had lodged a complaint with the Internal Compliance Committee on 30th June. We are enquiring about the findings of their report... Whoever is found guilty, accountability will be fixed for them."

Following public outrage and growing scrutiny, the Higher Education Department of Odisha issued an official statement announcing the immediate suspension of the accused professor and the college principal. 

The letter reads, "The government has contemplated that the matter has not been handled properly by Dillip Kumar Ghose. He has failed to perform his duties in the capacity of Principal of the college. He is hereby placed under suspension under sub-rule (2) of rule 12 of the Odisha Civil Services (Classification, Control & Appeal) Rules, 1962, with immediate effect."

As of now, the student's health condition remains critical, and she is under intensive care. Meanwhile, investigations are ongoing to determine whether administrative negligence played a role in the incident.

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