Odisha college student who set herself afire over sexual harassment dies

Bhubaneswar: After fighting for her life for three days, the Odisha college student who set herself ablaze following alleged sexual harassment by a professor passed away at AIIMS on Monday night, July 14, the hospital said.

The second-year Integrated B.Ed student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, Balasore, took the extreme step over alleged inaction against the professor and suffered 95 percent burns.

Expressing grief over the student’s death, CM Mohan Charan Majhi said all culprits in the case will face the strictest punishment under the law.

The woman was first admitted to the Balasore district hospital and then shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for advanced treatment. She was undergoing treatment in the ICU, Department of Burn Centre, according to officials.

“The patient was resuscitated with IV fluids, IV antibiotics, intubated and put on mechanical ventilation. Despite adequate resuscitation and all possible supportive management, including renal replacement therapy at the Burns ICU, she could not be revived and was declared clinically dead at 11:46 pm on July 14,” the Department of Burn Centre said in a statement.

President Droupadi Murmu, who was at AIIMS Bhubaneswar to attend its 5th convocation ceremony, paid an unscheduled visit to the burn and plastic surgery department on Monday evening and enquired about the student’s condition.

After conducting the post-mortem at AIIMS on Monday night, the body of the student was sent to her native village, Palasia, in Balasore district amid protests by members of the Opposition BJD and Congress at the hospital premises.

Oppn parties stage protest over student’s death

As soon as the hospital announced the death of the student, the BJD and Congress leaders and activists staged a protest inside the AIIMS campus late on Monday night. Police forcefully evicted the opposition members to clear the road for the movement of the vehicle carrying the body.

BJD leader Ipsita Sahoo alleged, “We want justice to be served to the victim. The government has conducted the post-mortem of the body overnight to hide its failure and incompetence.”

She also demanded the resignation of Higher Education Minister Suraj Suryabanshi for failing to provide justice to the female student.

Congress youth leader Syed Yashir Nawaz said that the student moved from pillar to post to get justice. However, no one heard her. After failing in her fight against the system, she forcefully took this extreme step, he said.

📍Odisha

A female student of FM College, Balasore, attempted self-immolation after her sexual harassment complaints against the HoD were ignored for over 15 days.

NSUI stands with the survivor and demands immediate action.

BJP’s ‘Beti Bachao’ rings hollow when daughters plead… pic.twitter.com/IGntsS4tB2

— NSUI (@nsui) July 13, 2025

Nawaz also demanded the resignation of the Higher Education minister, alleging that he is incompetent to continue in his position.

Odisha deputy chief minister Pravati Parida, along with local MLA Babu Singh, visited the hospital on Monday night to console the family members of the victim.

Fakir Mohan (Autonomous ) College Education Department HoD Samira Kumar Sahu and Principal Dilip Ghose have been arrested in the case.

Student’s body cremated

The body of the college student was consigned to flames at a crematorium in her village in Odisha’s Balasore district on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old woman’s cousin brother lit the funeral pyre at the village crematorium in the presence of thousands of people, including BJP Balasore MP Pratap Sarangi, and senior officers of the district administration.

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The local people bid a tearful adieu to the brave woman who lost fighting for justice and not giving up the alleged demand of the teacher of the college.

Thousands of people thronged the crematorium ground to attend her cremation.

“My daughter has taught me to fight and I will continue it. I do not need the money or ex-gratia. I want my daughter back. Can the government give me back my child,” the woman’s father said with tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Please forgive me. I am speechless,” the mother of the student said while asked about her demands.

A local villager said the deceased student was active during natural calamities, particularly floods. “She used to help the administration to shift women to safe places during floods,” said a villager of Basta area which is a flood-prone block in Balasore district.

“We do not believe that she will commit suicide. She was mentally strong and brilliant student. She was my student. She was forced to commit suicide by setting herself on fire for being denied justice,” said a teacher at the crematorium ground.

The deceased student’s grandfather said that the government “failed” to give her justice, for which she ended her life. She had approached everyone from the MLA to the Union minister, said another villager.

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