90% body burned: Odisha student sets herself on fire after sexual harassment complaint goes unheard; accused detained

NEW DELHI: A female student in Odisha's college chose to burn herself when her complaint against one of her teachers remained unheard.

The student, who had previously filed a sexual harassment complaint against her department head and sought disciplinary action, suffered 90 per cent burns after allegedly self-immolating on the campus premises on Saturday.

A male student who tried to rescue her was also injured, and both were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital. The woman was subsequently transferred to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for specialised care, PTI reported.

The incident occurred after she met with Principal Dilip Ghosh of a college in Balasore.

The victim, a second-year Integrated B.Ed student, had previously conducted a week-long protest on campus demanding action against the accused teacher.

Principal Dilip Ghosh said: "The student had come to me and wanted action against the teacher. I counselled her as she looked tense. She had lodged a complaint on June 30 and an internal complaint committee (ICC) inquiry was going on."

The accused teacher is currently detained at Sahadevkhunta Police Station in Balasore town. SP Raj Prasad and a scientific team are conducting an on-site investigation.

Balasore MLA Manas Dutta, after visiting the hospital, said: "The health condition of the woman student is critical. Our first priority is to save her life."

Fellow students reported that the victim had been experiencing severe psychological distress for several days due to alleged harassment by the department head. They stated that her distress intensified because neither the college administration nor the police took action against the accused teacher. The incident has created unrest within the college campus.