Odisha campus self-immolation sparks outrage

New Delhi, Jul 13: The self-immolation of a 20-year-old undergraduate student at Fakir Mohan University, Balasore, after allegedly facing prolonged sexual harassment, has triggered a political storm in Odisha, with mounting public anger and sharp criticism from opposition leaders. The incident, reported by The Hindu, has put the state government under severe pressure to act.

The student, who sustained 90% burn injuries after setting herself on fire outside the principal’s chamber on Saturday (July 12), remains in critical condition and is currently on a ventilator at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. State Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling and Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj have visited the hospital to monitor her condition, reports The Hindu.

According to The Hindu, the young woman had accused Assistant Professor Samir Kumar Sahu, head of the Education Department, of repeatedly seeking sexual favours and threatening to ruin her academic career if she did not comply. Despite multiple complaints, including a desperate social media appeal on July 1 tagging senior officials, no substantive action was taken.

She reportedly informed the college principal in writing about a previous suicide attempt. Disturbing footage showing the moment of the immolation and students rushing to save her has since gone viral, fuelling further outrage.

The accused professor has been arrested, and the university principal, Dilip Ghosh, has been suspended. However, the measures have not quelled public anger or political backlash.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, upon returning from New Delhi, visited AIIMS Bhubaneswar alongside Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo. He assured strict action based on the findings of the inquiry. “We will take all possible steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents,” Majhi said.

Meanwhile, opposition parties, including the Congress and BJD, have intensified their protests, with party leaders meeting the victim’s family and attempting to march to the residences of the CM and Higher Education Minister. A scuffle broke out between protestors and police during the march. The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognisance of the case.

This is the second such incident this year in Odisha involving alleged administrative inaction in a campus sexual harassment case. Earlier, a Nepalese student in a private university died by suicide after her repeated complaints against a male classmate were reportedly ignored.

The self-immolation incident has now become a flashpoint in Odisha’s political and social discourse, raising urgent questions about campus safety, institutional accountability, and the state’s handling of gender-based complaints.