The Odisha Crime Branch on Sunday said that the woman student of a private college in Balasore attempted self-immolation over alleged sexual harassment by a teacher, owing to the “non-validation” of her complaint by an internal inquiry committee.
A 20-year-old woman, pursuing B.Ed. at Fakir Mohan Autonomous College, died at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Monday night, days after she set herself ablaze on campus after her repeated complaints of sexual harassment by her Head of Department allegedly went unaddressed by the principal and college authorities.
Odisha Crime Branch DG Vinaytosh Mishra said that there were discrepancies in the statements of witnesses in the case.
“The college authorities had taken action on her complaint, and an internal inquiry was conducted. But the internal inquiry team did not validate her complaint. Her extreme step was a reaction to the non-validation of her plaint,” Mishra said during a press conference in Balasore on Sunday.
“The statements given by people on social media, before the committee, and to the police show inconsistencies from the same person. A thorough analysis of every statement is necessary so that we can reach the correct conclusion,” he added.
The Crime Against Women & Children Wing (CAW&CW) of the branch is investigating the woman’s allegations of sexual harassment. The Crime Branch took over the investigation on July 17, five days after the student attempted self-immolation, sustaining 90 percent burns.
“The girl lodged a complaint, after which the college authorities formed a committee and conducted an investigation. That committee recorded statements from around 80–90 people. After the report came, the girl went to the principal, and what happened afterwards is not clear,” DG Mishra said.
The woman set herself on fire shortly after she met with the college principal on Saturday. Her father blamed the principal for the plight of his daughter, while her mother demanded capital punishment for the culprits.
The top police officer assured that they would see to it that no innocent person is held guilty and said that a free and fair probe will be conducted.
Statements of college staff and administration are also being recorded while the Crime Branch is also trying to ascertain whether the victim was provoked to take the extreme step.
The principal of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College, Dillip Kumar Ghosh, was arrested following the student’s attempted self-immolation. A local court sent him to 14-day judicial custody in connection with the case.
Amid outrage over the incident, the ruling BJP faced heat from opposition parties, who held protests in Bhubaneswar and Balasore and blamed the government for failing to ensure women’s safety in the state.
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With agency inputs