A 22 year old, second year B.Ed student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore, Odisha, who has self immolated inside the college premises on July 12, succumbed to her injuries at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar on Monday night. She had set herself on fire in a desperate act of protest against alleged sexual harassment which lasted for several weeks at the hands of a college professor. The incident has sparked widespread outrage across the state, fuelled by a viral video circulating on social media showing the young woman engulfed in flames as she ran near the college principal’s office.
The student, had been battling for her life in the Burns ICU at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, where she was admitted with over 90% burn injuries. Despite intensive medical efforts, including mechanical ventilation, renal replacement therapy, and consultations with specialists from AIIMS Delhi, she was declared clinically dead at 11:46 PM on July 14, 2025, according to an official statement from the hospital. The tragedy has ignited a firestorm of protests, political debates, and calls for systemic reform in how educational institutions handle sexual harassment complaints.
The Incident and Allegations
The young woman, pursuing an integrated B.Ed degree, had repeatedly accused Samir Kumar Sahu, the Head of the Education Department at Fakir Mohan Autonomous College, of subjecting her to prolonged sexual harassment. According to reports, she alleged that Sahu made inappropriate advances and threatened to manipulate her academic scores if she did not comply. Despite lodging formal complaints with the college authorities, including a written submission on July 1, 2025, she claimed that no meaningful action was taken. The college’s Internal Complaints Committee reportedly cleared Sahu of wrongdoing, which the student cited as a key factor in her growing despair.
On July 12, 2025, she had decided for a sit-in protest along with her friends outside the college gates demanding justice. But then suddenly the young woman took the extreme step of dousing herself with petrol and setting herself ablaze near the principal’s office. Eyewitnesses described a harrowing scene as she ran, engulfed in flames, before collapsing. A male student who attempted to intervene suffered burn injuries and is receiving treatment. The incident was captured on CCTV, and the footage quickly spread across social media platforms, amplifying public outrage and drawing national attention to the case.
Institutional 'Inaction' and Arrests
The student’s drastic action was reportedly driven by frustration over the college administration’s failure to address her complaints. The principal, Dillip Kumar Ghosh, was accused of shielding Sahu and even threatening the student with expulsion. Following the incident, both Sahu and Ghosh were arrested by the Sahadevkhunta Police. Sahu faces charges under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including abetment to suicide and sexual harassment, while Ghosh was taken into custody on July 14, 2025, and sent to 14 day judicial custody for his alleged role in neglecting the student’s complaints. The Odisha Higher Education Department suspended Ghosh, citing his failure to handle the matter appropriately, and Sahu was also suspended based on preliminary evidence.
The case has exposed significant lapses in the functioning of the college’s Internal Complaints Committee, mandated under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013. Critics argue that the committee’s inaction and alleged bias toward the accused faculty member exacerbated the situation, pushing the student to her breaking point. In response, the Odisha government has issued directives for all universities and colleges to establish or strengthen their Internal Committees within 24 hours and to prominently display committee members’ contact details to ensure accessibility.
The student’s death has triggered widespread protests across Balasore and Bhubaneswar, with students, women’s rights activists, and opposition parties like the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress demanding justice and accountability. Demonstrations erupted outside Fakir Mohan Autonomous College and AIIMS Bhubaneswar, with protesters raising slogans against the college administration and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for failing to ensure women’s safety in educational institutions. Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik called for a judicial inquiry, stating that the student was “denied justice at every level.”
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed profound grief over the incident, vowing that “the culprits will face the strictest punishment.” In a post on 'X', he assured the student’s family that the government is committed to delivering justice. President Droupadi Murmu, who was in Bhubaneswar for AIIMS’s 5th convocation on July 14, made an unscheduled visit to the hospital’s burn unit to meet the student’s parents and inquire about her treatment. Accompanied by Chief Minister Majhi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, she expressed solidarity and support.
