Odisha student on ventilator after suicide attempt; next 48 hrs crucial: AIIMS

She is on a ventilator with extensive damage to skin, respiratory tract, internal organs, posing life-threatening complications.

Updated on: Jul 13, 2025, 14:36:06 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The next 48 hours are crucial for the 20-year-old undergraduate student who attempted to die by suicide on an Odisha college campus on Saturday over alleged sexual harassment by a professor, as “her vital organs have suffered serious damage,” doctors at AIIMS Bhubaneswar monitoring her condition said on Sunday.

Police arrested assistant professor Samir Kumar Sahu, who heads the education department at Fakir Mohan Autonomous College, for sexually harassing the woman. (fmcollege.ac.in)

Hours after she was admitted to All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar with 90% burns, police arrested assistant professor Samir Kumar Sahu, who heads the education department at Fakir Mohan Autonomous College.

AIIMS has formed a 12 doctors team, comprising specialists from critical care, surgery, nephrology, and pulmonology, who are monitoring her around the clock. “Her condition is still critical. She was put on a ventilator in a special ICU ward. Doctors from multiple departments are treating her. Around 90–95% of her body has suffered burns. Her kidneys were affected too. She has shown no signs of recovery ever since she was admitted. We are keeping a close watch on her condition as it is vital for the next 48 hours,” AIIMS Bhubaneswar executive director Ashutosh Biswas said.

“The patient is intubated, and that’s why she is alive till now. These are deep burns, and it is hard to assess her internal injuries. She is on a ventilator. There has been extensive damage to her skin, respiratory tract, and internal organs, posing life-threatening complications, including infection and organ failure,” a doctor treating the woman at AIIMS said.

Also Read: Odisha college student attempts suicide over sexual harassment by professor

The girl had lodged a complaint with the Internal Complaints Committee of the college on July 1. In her grievance to the internal complaints committee, she had alleged that Sahu had been asking her for “favours” and had also threatened to destroy her academic career if she did not oblige. Though she was assured that action would be taken in seven days, nothing happened. She also lodged a complaint with the local police in the issue.

The student and her classmates began a protest outside the college gate demanding action on Saturday. However, she suddenly got up, ran to an area close to the principal’s office, and attempted to die by suicide. A CCTV grab showed her on fire, running into a corridor of the college. A man tried to help her, but retreated after his T-shirt caught fire. The student walked out of the corridor, and other people could be seen trying to extinguish the fire.

Also Read: Odisha student attempts suicide after inaction over sexual harassment by professor

Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi had said the woman could be airlifted to a better hospital, but AIIMS Bhubaneswar doctors advised against it due to her serious condition.

The college principal, Dilip Ghosh, was also suspended by the higher education department over his failure to take action in the case.

The Odisha government has constituted a three-member committee — higher education director Kali Prasanna Mohapatra, higher education joint secretary Mousumi Nayak, and professor Jhumki Rath of BJB (Autonomous) College — to probe the case.

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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