CM Patnaik to provide ₹20 Lakh to the deceased student’s family
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed deep sorrow over the death of the Balasore student. CM Majhi announced a compensation of ₹20 lakh to the deceased student’s family and assured strict action against the culprits.
Opposition demands CM Majhi’s resignation
Congress leader Ramchandra Kadam stated that under the ‘double engine’ government, a reign of terror has been established. He said that the issue of women’s and girls’ safety was repeatedly raised in the assembly, but the government paid no heed. He alleged that everyone, from the Chief Minister to the Education Minister, Collector, and Superintendent of Police, was aware of the matter, yet no action was taken. He further demanded the immediate resignation of the Chief Minister and stringent action against the culprits.
Congress calls for a ‘Bandh’
Congress has called for a statewide ‘bandh’ in Odisha on July 17th. The student, a victim of sexual harassment, attempted self-immolation on July 12th and succumbed to her injuries three days later. Congress has questioned the BJP government in Odisha following the student’s death. The Odisha Congress President, Bhakta Charan Das, and leaders from eight political parties held a joint press conference at the Congress Bhavan on Tuesday, announcing the statewide ‘bandh’ on July 17th in conjunction with these parties.
Rahul Gandhi blames the system
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, stated that the death of a daughter fighting for justice in Odisha is a direct murder by the system. The Congress MP wrote on X (formerly Twitter), that the brave student raised her voice against sexual exploitation, but instead of justice, she was threatened, harassed, and repeatedly humiliated. Those who were supposed to protect her continued to break her. As always, the BJP system protected the accused, forcing an innocent daughter to set herself on fire.
This is not suicide, but murder by the system: CPI(M)
CPI(M) Odisha state secretary, Suresh Chandra Paniagrahi, also strongly condemned the incident. He described it as a result of moral decay and institutional failure, stating that it is not suicide but murder by the system. He held the college principal and the lecturer’s negligence, along with the apathy of the district administration and the government, responsible for the incident.
What is the full story?
The 20-year-old student, who had set herself on fire on the college campus, was admitted to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, for the past few days and died late Monday night. The student was referred from Balasore District Hospital on July 12th. She received all necessary medical facilities, including IV support, ventilation, antibiotics, and renal therapy. She suffered 90% burns. The hospital reported that she died at 11:46 PM on July 14th during treatment.
Long-standing complaints of sexual harassment
The student had been complaining about sexual harassment by her department head for a long time. It is alleged that neither the college principal nor other responsible officials took any concrete action on her complaints. She was constantly threatened and humiliated. Distressed, she took this extreme step.
