"Not suicide, but an organised murder by system," Congress's Rahul Gandhi on Balasore student's death

New Delhi [India], July 15 (ANI): Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday called the death of the 20-year-old Balasore student an "organised murder by the BJP's system," accusing the BJP of failing to protect the victim.
Gandhi alleged that the student, who set herself on fire after facing sexual harassment, was subjected to repeated threats, torments and humiliation instead of receiving justice.
In a post on X, LoP Gandhi wrote, "The death of a daughter fighting for justice in Odisha is nothing less than a murder by the BJP's system. That brave student raised her voice against sexual harassment, but instead of delivering justice, she was threatened, tormented, and repeatedly humiliated. Those who were supposed to protect her kept breaking her."

ओडिशा में इंसाफ़ के लिए लड़ती एक बेटी की मौत, सीधे-सीधे BJP के सिस्टम द्वारा की गई हत्या है।

उस बहादुर छात्रा ने यौन शोषण के ख़िलाफ़ आवाज़ उठाई - लेकिन न्याय देने के बजाय, उसे धमकाया गया, प्रताड़ित किया गया, बार-बार अपमानित किया गया।

जिन्हें उसकी रक्षा करनी थी, वही उसे तोड़ते…

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 15, 2025

The LoP accused the BJP government of shielding the accused and called on Prime Minister Modi to break his silence, ensuring safety and justice for the daughters of India.
"As always, the BJP's system continued to shield the accused and forced an innocent daughter to set herself on fire. This is not suicide; it is an organised murder by the system. Modi ji, whether in Odisha or Manipur, the daughters of the nation are burning, breaking, and dying. And you? You remain silent. The country doesn't need your silence; it needs answers. India's daughters need safety and justice," the post reads.
Earlier in the day, the Congress workers staged a protest outside AIIMS Bhubaneswar following the death of a student from Balasore who had attempted self-immolation. Police later detained the protesting workers.
On Monday, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar confirmed the death of the 20-year-old student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Odisha's Balasore, who had attempted self-immolation.
The Department of Burn Centre, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, said in a statement that the patient was brought to the casualty on July 12 and was referred from Balasore District Headquarters Hospital to AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
"She was admitted to the Burns Centre ICU. 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 statement said.
The 20-year-old student set herself on fire after allegedly facing prolonged sexual harassment by her college's Head of Department. Despite lodging a formal complaint and seeking help from the principal, her pleas were ignored, leading to the tragic incident. The incident occurred at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College. (ANI)