2 ABVP members arrested for abetting Odisha suicide

Two ABVP members were arrested for abetting suicide after a woman set herself on fire over alleged sexual harassment by a professor in Odisha.

Updated on: Aug 5, 2025, 04:18:45 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

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Two members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), were arrested on Monday on charges of abetment of suicide in connection with the death of a woman who set herself on fire over alleged sexual harassment, police said.

Police personnel at the Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, in Balasore district, Odisha, Saturday, July 12, 2025. (PTI)

The 20-year-old woman, a second-year student at the Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore, Odisha, set herself on July 12, accusing assistant professor Samir Kumar Sahoo, who headed the education department, of sexually harassing her. The woman died of her injuries on July 14.

On Monday, police arrested Subhra Sambit Nayak (ABVP Odisha joint secretary) and Jyotirprakash Biswal (ABVP member and third-year student) for allegedly instigating the woman to take the extreme step and for filming the self-immolation. Biswal reportedly sustained 15% burn injuries on his face and hands after attempting to douse the fire.

Also Read | 'Everyone forced her to die': Father of Odisha student who died after self-immolation

“The two have been arrested as we found their involvement in instigating the woman in taking the extreme step,” a senior police officer of the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said on anonymity. Biswal was interrogated to reconstruct the events leading to the incident, officials said.

Police said Nayak and Biswal were arrested under sections 108 (abetment of suicide) and 61(2)(criminal conspiracy) of BNS. The accused were later produced in court and remanded to 14-day judicial custody.

ABVP, in a press release, condemned the arrests and raised concerns over the “behaviour” of Odisha Police.

Also Read | BJD asks Odisha higher education minister to resign after Balasore student death

“The police took no action against the leaders of student organisations affiliated with the Congress and the BJD, who tried to weaken the victim’s fight against sexual harassment by assassinating her character and mentally torturing her. On the contrary, the ABVP activists who tried to save her — some of whom even sustained burn injuries and were only recently discharged from the hospital — were the ones arrested. This approach not only reveals the failure of the Odisha Police but also exposes their biased attitude,” the organisation said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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