‘They told her to stay silent… Now she’s in hospital’: Father seeks justice in Odisha harassment case

Bhubaneswar: The father of the B.Ed student who attempted self-immolation after alleged sexual harassment has demanded strict action. He urged the harshest punishment for those responsible to prevent such incidents in the future.

“This is not just about my daughter. If justice is not delivered now, more daughters will suffer the same fate. I appeal to the government to ensure the harshest punishment for those who did this to her,” he said on Sunday, fighting back tears.

Authorities made empty promises

Speaking to the media, the heartbroken father expressed his anguish, saying that what happened to his daughter is beyond comprehension: “I was assured by the authorities that action would be taken and justice would be served, but all I got were false promises. I was asked to trust them, to remain silent. But today, my daughter is lying in a hospital bed, struggling to survive.”

Blaming Dillip Ghose, principal of the state-run college, the father told reporters in Bhubaneswar, "My daughter's friends told me that she set herself on fire minutes after meeting the principal. She had gone to his chamber to know the findings of the Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) probing her allegations."

The victim who is currently undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar had complained to the college administration on June 30.

The victim's father added that he had also met the principal after that, and he told him not to worry, as he would resolve the issues.

Father claims the college authorities’ decision caused her mental distress

"The principal told my daughter that the ICC did not find any evidence to support her sexual harassment allegations against Samira Kumar Sahu, the head of the education department," the father said, alleging that the news may have worsened her mental distress.

Principal Ghose even threatened the victim by saying that the college authorities might take action against her for levelling false allegations against a teacher. 

According to the victim’s father, “The accused professor continued to work, and no immediate steps were taken even after repeated complaints. My daughter was left to suffer in silence.”

He also alleged that Sahu had threatened to sabotage her academic records if she did not comply with his demand for "favours".

The girl's father rejected claims that his daughter was emotionally weak, stating, “She was a master trainer in self-defence for girls. She wrote beautiful poems and won the Best Actress award in college in 2024.”

Victim’s brother revealed she even posted about harassment tagging CM:

Her brother said she had also posted a message on X, pleading for justice and tagging the chief minister, higher education minister, local MP, MLA, and other officials.

Recalling the painful turn of events, the victim’s mother revealed, “(She) told us she was being mentally harassed by a teacher after the exams. She had even lodged a formal complaint. For the last 15 days, she was under immense stress.”

Health update of the victim

The student, with over 90-95 percent burn injuries, is battling for life at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of AIIMS, Bhubaneswar. Doctors have started dialysis as part of the initiation of renal replacement therapy, a treating medical practitioner said.

Dialysis commenced following consultation with experts from AIIMS Delhi, said Dr Sanjay Giri, Additional Professor and HoD, Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

She shows a high heartbeat rate at 180 per bpm (beats per minute) even under ventilator support, he said.

"We received the patient yesterday in a critical condition. The patient is in the ICU. It is about 90-95% burn. The patient is in a critical situation. We are doing our best to provide the highest quality care," Dr. Ashutosh Biswas, executive director, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, told ANI.

What incited the suicide attempt?

The victim, a second-year student of the Integrated BEd programme, set herself ablaze after pouring petrol on herself in front of the Principal's chamber on Saturday. The student with severe burn wounds was rushed to Balasore Medical College, but was later shifted to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, for advanced treatment. 

Prior to the self-immolation attempt, she had staged a sit-in protest near the college campus on July 2, demanding action against the accused HoD of the B.Ed department, Samir Kumar Sahu, for the alleged misbehaviour. She was very upset as no action was taken against the HoD by the college authorities despite her lodging a formal complaint against the accused.

Accused arrested by police

Sahu was immediately arrested by the Sahadevkhunta Police after a case was registered against him under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including 108 (abetment to suicide), 75(1)(iii) (sexual harassment), etc. The Odisha government also placed the college principal under suspension as he "failed" to perform his duties, an order issued by the Higher Education Department said.

(with IANS and PTI inputs)