Student death: BJD demands judicial inquiry, apology from Odisha govt

Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday demanded a judicial inquiry into the "planned injustice" which led to the death of a college student in the state and asked the Odisha government to publicly tender an apology for "failure of the system".

The second year B.Ed student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, Balasore, who set herself on fire following inaction over her sexual harassment complaint against a professor died on Monday night at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

The demands were made at a press conference here addressed by BJD senior vice president Debi Prasad Mishra and other senior leaders including Sanjay Das Burma and Pratap Jena.

"We demand a judicial probe into the incident headed by a sitting judge of the Orissa High Court. The people whom the deceased girl had approached through digital platform should come under the purview of the inquiry," Mishra told reporters.

Stating that the self-immolation death of the 20-year old Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) college woman student for denial of justice, has shocked the entire country, Mishra said that the BJD students and youths are already on the streets and a candlelight rally will be held on Tuesday evening as a mark of solidarity with the victim's family.

"The party has also planned to gherao the Lok Seva Bhawan (state secretariat) on Wednesday," Mishra said, adding that the entire state is shocked that none of the persons in position came to rescue a woman who was fighting for justice, against the teacher who allegedly sexually and mentally harassed her for months together.

Das Burma sought the resignation of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj on moral grounds till a judicial inquiry is completed.

"Who gave her the petrol for self-immolation? Who was recording videos at the time? Who were present in the principal's chamber during the incident? The BJD will continue its agitation till the government announces a judicial probe into the matter," Das Burma said.

Jena said: "The law and order has completely collapsed in Odisha. The crimes against women have increased and girl students are not safe on campus." He demanded strong action against everyone responsible starting from the chief minister to the Balasore MLA and the Superintendent of Police.

Earlier in the day BJD president and Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Naveen Patnaik said the death of the college student who set herself ablaze following alleged sexual harassment by a professor was due to "failure of the system".

Expressing his grief over the death of the college student, Patnaik in a long social media post said: "It is even more disturbing to think how a failed system can take someone's life. The most painful part is that this was not an accident, but rather the result of a system that remained silent instead of helping. Struggling for justice, the girl ultimately closed her eyes."

With great courage, Patnaik said the student had written to the college principal, informing them about the sexual harassment she had faced.

"Even after being ignored by the college authorities, she did not give up. To seek justice, she reached out to the Higher Education minister, the Chief Minister's office, and even a Union minister," Patnaik said.

The second-year B.Ed student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, Balasore died on Monday night at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar after fighting for her life for three days.

She set herself on fire on the campus on Saturday over alleged inaction against a professor who allegedly sexually harassed her. She had suffered 95 per cent burns.

The principal and the HoD of the Education Department of the college in Balasore have been arrested in the case.