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The fact-finding committee will look into the student’s death by suicide at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in future
Police personnel stand guard as mortal remains of the college student, who set herself ablaze, being cremated at her village in Odisha’s Balasore district on July 15. (Image: PTI)
The University Grants Commission on Tuesday formed a four-member fact-finding committee to look into a 20-year-old student’s death by suicide on a college campus in Odisha’s Balasore district. The woman, who set herself ablaze alleging inaction over sexual harassment by a teacher, died in the wee hours at the AIIMS Bhubaneswar after battling for life for about 60 hours.
According to a circular issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC), the fact-finding committee will look into the incident that happened at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College on July 12 and suggest measures to prevent these in future. A detailed report with its findings and recommendations is expected in seven days, said UGC secretary Sudeep Singh Jain.
The committee will have four members, including a chairperson, two members, and a coordinating officer. It will be chaired by Prof Raj Kumar Mittal of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University in New Delhi. The members include former UGC member Sushma Yadav, former Gujarat University vice-chancellor Neerja Gupta and UGC joint secretary Ashima Mangla.
“A four-member panel has been formed to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident, including availability and effectiveness of factors such as institutional policies, grievance redressal mechanism, anti-harassment measures adopted and student support systems,” said Jain. “The panel will examine circumstances surrounding the incident, assess compliance with the stipulated regulatory provisions, and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in future.”
The second-year BEd student had accused her head of department, Samira Kumar Sahu, of sexually harassing her. She set herself on fire during a protest outside the principal’s office over alleged inaction against the professor and suffered 95 percent burns.
Sahu, who was suspended by the state higher education department, was arrested on July 12. On Monday (July 14), Dilip Ghosh, the suspended former principal, was also arrested for allegedly abetting the student’s death by suicide.
The self-immolation incident triggered statewide outrage with the opposition parties staging protests and demanding the resignation of the state higher education minister. Odisha governor Hari Babu Kambhampati has also sought a report from the state government on the circumstances under which the student resorted to self-immolation and steps taken to address the situation.
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st…Read More
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st… Read More
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Odisha (Ori), India, India
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