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Odisha student sets herself on fire after teacher asks for sexual favours, battling for life
An eight-member expert committee has been constituted at AIIMS to monitor her condition.
A 20-year-old college student from Fakir Mohan College in Balasore is battling for her life at AIIMS Bhubaneswar after allegedly setting herself on fire on Saturday in protest against inaction on her sexual harassment complaint against a faculty member.
The second-year Integrated B.Ed student suffered severe burn injuries covering approximately 95% of her body. According to AIIMS Bhubaneswar Executive Director Dr. Ashutosh Biswas, her kidneys and lungs are also affected, and her condition remains "highly critical."
“She is on critical care support. Her entire body is burnt except for a few patches on her face,” said Dr. Biswas during a media briefing on Sunday. “The next 48 hours are crucial. We cannot say anything definite at this moment.”
An eight-member expert committee has been constituted at AIIMS to monitor her condition, with doctors from anesthesia, pulmonary medicine, plastic surgery, nephrology, and other critical departments on round-the-clock duty.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi is scheduled to visit the student on Sunday, confirmed Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling, who met with the victim's family earlier in the day.
The young woman had lodged a formal complaint against Samira Kumar Sahu, a teacher and the Head of Department, on June 30, alleging sexual and mental harassment. She had been staging a week-long protest on campus demanding action. On Saturday afternoon, after meeting college principal Dilip Ghosh, she reportedly doused herself in a flammable liquid and set herself ablaze within the college premises.
A male student who attempted to rescue her also sustained burn injuries. Both were rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital in Balasore before she was referred to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for advanced treatment.
Following the incident, Balasore police arrested the accused teacher, who is currently in custody at Sahadevkhunta Police Station. A scientific team led by SP Raj Prasad is investigating the case on-site.
The Odisha Higher Education Department has suspended Principal Dilip Ghosh, citing his failure to act appropriately on the student’s complaint. Ghosh claimed an internal complaints committee (ICC) probe was underway and that he had attempted to counsel the distressed student.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage and unrest on the college campus, with students and civil society groups demanding stricter accountability mechanisms and immediate reforms to handle harassment complaints.
Balasore MLA Manas Dutta, who visited the hospital, said: “Our first priority is to save her life. This is a very serious failure of the system, and we must ensure justice is served.”
Friends of the victim revealed she had been under immense psychological stress over the past few days due to the alleged inaction by both college authorities and local police, which they believe drove her to the extreme step.
