'She could not be revived': Odisha student dies after setting herself on fire over 'sexual harassment' by professor
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'She could not be revived': Odisha student dies after setting herself on fire over 'sexual harassment' by professor")
The victim set herself on fire in a protest against the official inaction against her constant complaints against her professor in the college Photograph: (X)
The girl had accused Sahu of making sexual advances against her and then threatening to fail her in examinations if she did not give in to her demands.
A 20-year-old student of the Fakir Mohan University in India's Odisha set herself ablaze after allegedly being sexually harassed by a teacher, Samir Kumar Sahu; now she has died. The girl succumbed to her injuries a day after the President of India, Droupadi Murmu visited her at the AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Monday (July 14).
“Despite adequate resuscitation and all possible supportive management, including renal replacement therapy at Burns ICU, she could not be revived and was declared clinically dead at 11.46 p.m. on July 14,” says a bulletin of AIIMS, Bhubaneswar.
The chief minister of Odisha, Mohan Charan Majhi, expressed his grief via a social media post, saying, “I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of the student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College. Despite the government fulfilling all responsibilities and the relentless efforts of the team of specialist doctors, her life could not be saved. I pray for the departed soul to rest in peace and give strength to her family to bear this irreparable loss."
The victim set herself on fire in a protest against the official inaction against her constant complaints against her professor in the college, who allegedly asked for sexual favours from the student.
How did the incident unfold?
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The girl was a second-year student of B.Ed (integrated) at the Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore. She set herself ablaze on Saturday (July 12) outside the chamber of the college principal. She filed a complaint against Samir Kumar Sahu, but the Internal Complaints Committee of the institution gave a clean chit to him, who was the head of the education department.
The girl had accused Sahu of making sexual advances against her and then threatening to fail her in examinations if she did not give in to her demands. The girl was an active member of the RSS-controlled Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. She had even approached CM Majhi, union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the national commission for women, as well as district police officials about her plight - but none could give her justice.
What's happening now?
Sahu was nabbed after the girl set herself on fire. The National Commission for Women also took suo motu cognisance of the case on July 13, demanding an action report within three days.
On Monday (July 14), the Odisha government directed all the universities and colleges to form Internal Committees under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013, within 24 hours and display the name and contact number of all IC members in a conspicuous place for general awareness.
