Odisha self-immolation case: Student succumbs to injuries

A 20-year-old B.Ed student in Odisha died after self-immolating over alleged sexual harassment by her professor. She succumbed to burn injuries at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. Police have arrested the accused HoD and the college principal for negligence and abetment.

Bhubaneswar: The 20-year-old female student of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Odisha’s Balasore, who was undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar following a self-immolation attempt over sexual harassment by Assistant Professor, Samir Kumar Sahu, succumbed to the burn injuries on Monday night.

According to a medical bulletin released by the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, the student was admitted to the ICU at AIIMS on July 12 at 5.15 pm. She was referred from the Balasore District Headquarters Hospital and brought in by her friend Jyoti Rekha Bhuyan.

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Upon arrival, the badly burnt student was resuscitated with intravenous fluids and antibiotics, intubated, and placed on mechanical ventilation. Despite intensive treatment, including renal replacement therapy and all advanced life-saving efforts, her condition deteriorated, and she was declared clinically dead at 11.46 pm on July 14.

It is pertinent here to mention that the victim, a B.Ed student, set herself ablaze after pouring petrol on herself in front of the principal’s chamber on Saturday over alleged sexual harassment by the HoD of her discipline, Samir Kumar Sahu. The student with over 90 per cent burn injuries was rushed to Balasore Medical College, but was later shifted to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, for advanced treatment.

Prior to the self-immolation bid, the student had staged a sit-in protest near the college campus demanding action against the accused HoD Sahu for the alleged misbehaviour.

She was very upset as no action was taken against the HoD by the college authorities despite her lodging a formal complaint against the accused Sahu. Sahu was immediately arrested by the Sahadevkhunta Police after a case was registered against him under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including 108 (abetment to suicide), 75(1)(iii) (sexual harassment), etc.

On Monday, the police also arrested the Principal of FM Autonomous College, Dillip Kumar Ghose, in this case.