BJD to hold protest over Balasore student's death, demands compensation and judicial probe

Balasore (Odisha) [India], July 15 (ANI): The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) will organise a protest rally on Wednesday in response to the death of a 20-year-old student, who died after setting herself on fire following repeated complaints of sexual harassment by a college teacher that were allegedly ignored.
The party has also demanded Rs 1 crore compensation for the victim's family and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
BJD MLA Goutam Buddha Das told ANI, "It is very unfortunate news that a girl from our constituency died due to self-immolation. The student was being harassed by her teacher. She complained to the college principal, went to the MPs, and tweeted the same to the CM and the education minister. No one listened to her... The government is responsible for this...
"We have decided to close Balasore tomorrow... We will organise a protest rally. We demand that the family of the victim should get the compensation of Rs 1 crore, and a judicial inquiry should happen," he added.
The 20-year-old student had allegedly faced prolonged sexual harassment by the Head of Department (HoD) at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore. Despite filing a formal complaint and seeking help from the college principal, her grievances reportedly went unheard, leading her to take the extreme step on campus last Saturday.
She was initially admitted to the Balasore district hospital and later referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar, where she succumbed to her burn injuries on Monday, hospital authorities said.
In connection with the case, Fakir Mohan College's HoD, Samira Kumar Sahu, and Principal, Dilip Ghose, have been arrested.
Meanwhile, Balasore BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi described the incident as "unprecedented" and claimed the student had approached him for help earlier this month.
"This incident is unprecedented. On 2nd July, this girl and a few of her friends came to me. Soon after, I spoke to the college principal and SP. The SP said police have asked the college to file an FIR. I also asked them (Police & College authorities) to file an FIR. The principal said that he was dealing with this case internally, and a decision will be made within a week. I had even requested HoD Sameer Babu to be sent on leave," Pratap Chandra Sarangi said.
He added that the student had reportedly attempted suicide earlier as well, and claimed that the principal and professor were suspended within 12 hours of the incident.
"Those raising questions are only trying to mislead," Sarangi said. (ANI)