<p class="bodytext">The young victim of sexual assault who died of self-immolation in Odisha’s Balasore district exposes more than a crime and an offender. Her death is an indictment of the state’s education and governance systems that failed to support her and provide justice to her, even after she made her complaint of harassment public and named the abuser. About three weeks ago, she revealed on social media her months-long harassment at the hands of an assistant professor in her college. There was no response. She was even barred from appearing in a test by the accused professor. She approached the internal complaints committee of the college and the police and sought help from the college principal. State authorities were tagged in her complaint. The local MP, the Higher Education Minister, and the Chief Minister’s Office were also informed about the harassment, before she set herself on fire outside the principal’s office, on the ninth day of a student protest against official inaction.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The accused professor has been arrested on charges of abetment to suicide and sexual harassment, among others. The principal has also been arrested, and an investigation is underway. It has now been found that the mandatory internal complaint committees do not exist in most colleges in the state. Colleges have to report such cases to the UGC and the Education Department but that directive remains on paper. The UGC has specified guidelines on handling such complaints, but those are not adhered to. That the woman did not get justice from any of the authorities she approached shows that the failure is institutional and systemic.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The incident comes at a time when calls are being made to strengthen existing laws. Odisha has reported multiple sexual assaults in recent weeks, including the gang-rape of a college student on the Gopalpur beach, which led to the arrest of 10 people. Women’s safety remains a major concern in other states as well. The Balasore case is significant because the victim chose to end her life after her repeated attempts to seek the help of the authorities failed. This underlines a continuing lack of sensitivity to issues relevant to women’s safety and reveals serious gaps between India’s claims of institutional support and its ground realities. Just a month ago, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had said at the state-level Nari Shakti Samabesh that Odisha was becoming a model in women’s empowerment. It bears repetition that a society that does not protect its women cannot claim to be civilised.</p>
<p class="bodytext">The young victim of sexual assault who died of self-immolation in Odisha’s Balasore district exposes more than a crime and an offender. Her death is an indictment of the state’s education and governance systems that failed to support her and provide justice to her, even after she made her complaint of harassment public and named the abuser. About three weeks ago, she revealed on social media her months-long harassment at the hands of an assistant professor in her college. There was no response. She was even barred from appearing in a test by the accused professor. She approached the internal complaints committee of the college and the police and sought help from the college principal. State authorities were tagged in her complaint. The local MP, the Higher Education Minister, and the Chief Minister’s Office were also informed about the harassment, before she set herself on fire outside the principal’s office, on the ninth day of a student protest against official inaction.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The accused professor has been arrested on charges of abetment to suicide and sexual harassment, among others. The principal has also been arrested, and an investigation is underway. It has now been found that the mandatory internal complaint committees do not exist in most colleges in the state. Colleges have to report such cases to the UGC and the Education Department but that directive remains on paper. The UGC has specified guidelines on handling such complaints, but those are not adhered to. That the woman did not get justice from any of the authorities she approached shows that the failure is institutional and systemic.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The incident comes at a time when calls are being made to strengthen existing laws. Odisha has reported multiple sexual assaults in recent weeks, including the gang-rape of a college student on the Gopalpur beach, which led to the arrest of 10 people. Women’s safety remains a major concern in other states as well. The Balasore case is significant because the victim chose to end her life after her repeated attempts to seek the help of the authorities failed. This underlines a continuing lack of sensitivity to issues relevant to women’s safety and reveals serious gaps between India’s claims of institutional support and its ground realities. Just a month ago, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had said at the state-level Nari Shakti Samabesh that Odisha was becoming a model in women’s empowerment. It bears repetition that a society that does not protect its women cannot claim to be civilised.</p>
