Woman student commits self-immolation over sexual harassment; principal suspended, teacher held
Balasore, Jul 12 (PTI): A woman student of a college in Odisha's Balasore district, who had lodged a sexual harassment complaint against a teacher, on Saturday allegedly set herself on fire in the educational institute campus and sustained 90 per cent burn injury, police said.
Another male student, who attempted to save her, also sustained injury and both were rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital here.
Later, she was referred to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for advanced treatment. A 12-member doctors team has been formed to take care of the injured woman student, police said.
The incident took place this afternoon after the woman student met the Principal of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, Balasore, Dilip Kumar Ghose. She had earlier lodged a sexual harassment complaint against Samira Kumar Sahu, Assistant Professor (Stage-l) in Educational Studies, who is also the head of the department and demanded action against him.
Taking a serious view of the self-immolation attempt by woman student, the Odisha government placed the college principal and the head of the Education department, under suspension.
As Ghose has "failed" to perform his duties in the capacity of Principal of the college, he is hereby placed under suspension with immediate effect, an order issued by the Higher Education department said.
Balaore Police has arrested the accused teacher Samira Kumar Sahu, an officer said.
Higher Education minister Suryabanshi Suraj visited AIIMS Bhubaneswar to inquire about the health condition of the woman student. "The government is committed to take stringent action in this matter," the minister said.
The minister said a high-level inquiry committee has been constituted. "Further action will be taken based on the committee's report," he said.
Balasore MP Pratap Sarangi, who held a discussion with the college principal, students and other stakeholders, said: "This is highly condemnable and barbaric. I had spoken to the college principal 5/6 days ago. I had suggested to him to give compulsory leave to the accused teacher, but he did not listen."
Officials said that the woman was a second-year student of the Integrated B.Ed programme in the college. She had also staged a protest on the college campus for one week demanding action against the teacher.
Ghose 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."
Balasore SP Raj Prasad said that the accused teacher Samira Kumar Sahu has been arrested. A scientific team was investigating the matter on the spot.
Balasore MLA Manas Dutta, who visited the hospital, said: "The health condition of the woman student is critical. Our first priority is to save her life."
According to her friends, the woman student was under severe mental stress for the past several days over the alleged harassment by the head of the department.
Her friends said that her agony was compounded as neither the college authority nor the police took any action against the accused teacher.
The incident has sparked tension on the college campus.
Meanwhile, the Opposition BJD strongly condemned the incident. "We are shocked, about not only what has happened in Balasore today, but we are shocked more about what has been happening in Odisha in the past one month."
"One college girl is gang raped at Gopalpur beach and a couple is forced to plough a land. Odisha is a peaceful place, and we have never seen such things happening in Odisha," BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said.
The BJD in a statement held the state's BJP government "responsible" for Balasore student suicide attempt and said that the students are even unsafe in colleges. "We demand arrest of college principal. Balasore MP fails to provide justice to student even as he was approached prior to the incident", the BJD said.
Mohanty said a party delegation expressed solidarity with the student and family, and emphasised the need for justice and accountability in the matter.
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Plea about 'threat' to Rahul Gandhi filed without his consent, to be withdrawn: Lawyer
Pune, Aug 13 (PTI): Hours after filing a plea in a court here claiming apprehension of threat to Rahul Gandhi from the followers of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the Congress leader's lawyer on Wednesday said it was filed without Gandhi's consent, and would be withdrawn.
He will submit another application on Thursday to withdraw the `Pursis' or the application filed before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde, said Advocate Milind Pawar.
Pawar is representing Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case filed by Satyaki Savarkar, grand-nephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, over certain statements made by the Congress leader against the late freedom fighter and Hindutva ideologue.
He drafted the application without consulting Gandhi and the latter has taken a "strong exception to the filing of this Pursis and expressed his disagreement with its contents", the lawyer said in a press release late in the evening.
The application filed by advocate Pawar earlier in the day said that complainant Satyaki Savarkar had admitted that he is also a direct descendant, through maternal lineage, of Nathuram Godse and Gopal Godse, principal accused in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and recently held a press conference in Delhi, placing before the nation evidence of electoral fraud by the Election Commission, the application said.
"Furthermore, during the parliamentary debate on the subject of Hindutva, there was a heated exchange between the Prime Minister and Shri Rahul Gandhi, a matter well known to the public. Against this backdrop, there is little doubt that the complainant, his great-grandfathers (the Godses), those connected with the ideology of Vinayak Savarkar, and some followers of Savarkar who are presently in power, may harbor hostility or resentment towards Gandhi," the application said.
"In light of the documented history of violent and anti-constitutional tendencies linked to the complainant's lineage, and considering the prevailing political climate, there exists a clear, reasonable, and substantial apprehension that Rahul Gandhi may face harm, wrongful implication, or other forms of targeting by persons subscribing to the ideology of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar," the application stated.
The Pune court has already granted bail to Rahul Gandhi in the defamation case. The trial is yet to begin.
Reacting to the development, Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, Satyaki Savarkar's lawyer, asked why the application was filed in the first place. "This is nothing but an attempt to delay the trial by moving such frivolous pleas," he said.
Satyaki Savarkar has filed a defamation complaint against Rahul Gandhi, alleging that in a speech made in London in March 2023, the Congress leader claimed that V D Savarkar had written in a book that he and five to six of his friends once beat up a Muslim man and he (Savarkar) felt happy.
No such incident ever took place, and V D Savarkar never wrote any such thing anywhere, the complaint claimed.
