The woman, a second-year Integrated B.Ed student, reportedly set herself on fire on the college campus on Saturday after meeting the principal. A male student who tried to save her also suffered injuries.
The suspended principal of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Odisha’s Balasore district, Dilip Kumar Ghosh, was arrested on Saturday in connection with the self-immolation attempt of a woman student who had accused a senior teacher of sexual harassment, reports Kalinga TV.
Ghosh was taken into custody by Sahadevkhunta police based on interim findings of a high-level probe ordered by the Odisha Higher Education Department. The 20-year-old student is battling for life with 90% burns at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
Police said Ghosh failed to act on the student’s repeated complaints against Assistant Professor Samir Kumar Sahu, who headed the college’s Education Department. Prime suspect Sahu, accused of demanding sexual favours, was arrested on Satruday.
The woman, a second-year Integrated B.Ed student, reportedly set herself on fire on the college campus on Saturday after meeting the principal. A male student who tried to save her also suffered injuries.
Officials said the principal was suspended earlier for dereliction of duty and for allegedly ignoring the student’s written complaint submitted on June 30. A departmental inquiry was underway when the student attempted self-immolation.
A 12-member medical team is treating the student, whose condition remains critical. The incident has sparked widespread outrage and political backlash, with opposition parties demanding accountability from the state’s BJP government.
Congress leaders called for the resignation of the chief minister and higher education minister, demanding a judicial inquiry. They also urged President Droupadi Murmu, currently on a two-day visit to Odisha, to meet the victim.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh called the incident deeply disturbing.
“In a college in Balasore, a female student, fed up with prolonged sexual harassment by the head of the department, set herself on fire on the campus itself. She has been severely injured and is currently battling for her life at AIIMS Bhubaneswar,” Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X.
Under the BJP’s rule, daughters are not safe anywhere—neither on campuses, nor on the streets, he alleged.
Earlier, addressing a press conference along with Odisha MLA Sofia Firdous, Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba said, “This student is an office-bearer of ABVP, the student affiliate of the BJP-RSS.
“The President of India, Droupadi Murmu ji, herself hails from Odisha. Today, she is attending an event at the same AIIMS Bhubaneswar where this female student is admitted in critical condition. We just want to say that President ji should meet this female student,” Lamba said.
Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, who visited the victim at AIIMS, said the government is committed to taking stringent action and is covering her medical expenses.