News Desk – A 20-year-old college student in Odisha who set herself on fire after allegedly facing sexual harassment and inaction from authorities has died. She was admitted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar with 90% burns and passed away late Monday night (July 14).
What Happened?
The student, pursuing B.Ed. at Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore, had been reportedly harassed for weeks by her Head of Department (HoD), Sameer Kumar Sahoo.
She had filed multiple complaints to the college principal and local police, but no proper action was taken.
On Saturday (July 12), after a final meeting with the principal, she set herself on fire on the college campus.
She was rushed to Balasore District Hospital and later shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
Despite all efforts, including intensive care, the hospital said she was declared clinically dead at 11:46 PM on July 14.
The college principal, Dillip Kumar Ghosh, was arrested and sent to 14-day judicial custody. Students and the victim’s family blamed him for ignoring her repeated complaints.
What Students Say
Fellow students revealed:
- The HoD made inappropriate demands and threatened academic consequences if she didn’t comply.
- An internal committee was set up but did nothing meaningful.
- The victim was mentally disturbed for weeks before the incident.
Her father blamed the college, and her mother demanded the death penalty for those responsible.
