"Why is CM silent?": Odisha Congress after self-immolation attempt at Balasore college
'Crime against women is increasing at an alarming rate in Odisha. Yesterday, Rahul Gandhi visited and said that every day 15 women are facing serious crimes and the state government is not paying attention... A student self-immolated due to continuous harassment by one of the teachers... Justice has not been delivered... Why are the Chief Minister and Deputy CM silent?... Why was there no inquiry?...', Mohanty told ANI on Saturday.
The Higher Education Department, Odisha, on Saturday constituted a committee to conduct a thorough inquiry into the alleged harassment case against Samira Kumar Sahu, Assistant Professor, FM Auto College.This comes after the suicide attempt by a girl student of the college in Balasore.
According to the order, the committee, in its inquiry, will ascertain the circumstances which led to self-immolation, the involvement of the professor in the case and the role of the college administration, principal and Internal Complaint Committee in dealing with any prior complaints.
The committee will also identify lapses of any individual or authority and identify any other incidental matter that emerges during the inquiry.
'The committee is authorised to seek assistance from any person as deemed necessary for conducting the inquiry and submit the report to the Higher Education Department,' the order said.
Earlier, the Balasore Police arrested the accused in the self-immolation attempt case.
According to Balasore SP Raj Prasad, the police have established prima facie evidence against the teacher who was involved in the self-immolation case of the female student.
The victim had lodged a complaint with the Internal Compliance Committee on June 30.
'In the case of a female student who attempted self-immolation, prima facie evidence has been established against a teacher. He has been arrested and forwarded to the court. This student had lodged a complaint with the Internal Compliance Committee on 30th June. We are enquiring about the findings of their report. Whoever is found guilty, accountability will be fixed for them,' he said.
The Higher Education Department of the Odisha government on Saturday suspended the Assistant Professor and Principal of FM (Auto) College, following the self-immolation attempt of the college student.
'The government has contemplated that the matter has not been handled properly by Dillip Kumar Ghose. He has failed to perform his duties in the capacity of Principal of the college. He is hereby placed under suspension under sub-rule (2) of rule 12 of the Odisha Civil Services (Classification, Control & Appeal) Rules, 1962, with immediate effect', the letter said. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
"They Should Invite Us, Right?" Peeved Siddaramaiah On BJP's Bridge 'Snub'
Bengaluru: The opening of a bridge in Karnataka Monday has created a divide between the ruling Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party that is in power at the centre, after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah objected to the lack of representatives from the state government at the inaguration ceremony. The government responded by sharing a July 11 letter - from three days before the opening - inviting the Chief Minister. The Kalasavalli-Ambargondlu, or the Sigandur bridge - India's second-longest cable-stayed bridge, 2.44km long and built at a cost of Rs 473 crore - in Shivamogga district is to be inaugurated later today, but the Chief Minister, his Public Works Minister, and local Congress MLAs will stay away. "They should invite us right? Who created this centre-state tussle? They created it ... they should follow protocols. It's happening in our state," a peeved Siddaramaiah told reporters. The Congress leader - also battling a power grab by his deputy, DK Shivakumar - said he spoke to Nitin Gadkari, the Union Ministe for Road Transport and Highways, and asked him to postpone the programme. "He said he would... but now, bowing to the pressure from local BJP leaders, they are going ahead with the event," Siddaramaiah complained. Bengaluru | Regarding the controversy about his absence from the inauguration of the Kalasavalli-Ambargondlu Bridge, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah says, "I had called Nitin Gadkari and asked him to postpone the program. He said he would postpone it. But now, bowing to the pressure... — ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2025 "I have not received any invitation. We always extend cooperation to railway projects... they invite us for those. But here, protocol has been violated. They are deliberately creating a rift between the central and state governments," he said, pointing also to scheduling conflicts. On Sunday too the Chief Minister had said it would have been appropriate for Mr Gadkari's office to contact him and plan the event at a mutually convenient time, given he is expected to attend various programmes in Vijayapura district, which is over 400km from Shivamogga. It wasn't just the Chief Minister questioning the apparent lack of protocol from the federal government; the Congress' Shivamogga district-in-charge Madhu Bangarappa said he too had not been invited. Mr Bangarappa also criticised the Road Transport Ministry for "disrespecting" Siddaramaiah. However, this morning the Mr Gadkari's office released copies of two letters, dated July 11 and July 12 - each signed by the Union Minister - that invited the Chief Minister to the inauguration. The second letter also invited Siddaramaiah to join via a video link if he could not make it to the ceremony itself. In a major step towards boosting regional connectivity, the inauguration and foundation stone laying ceremony for multiple key infrastructure projects is being held today in Shivamogga, Karnataka. An official invitation was duly extended to the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri… — Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) July 14, 2025 "The central government continues to uphold established protocols and has consistently appreciated the contributions and cooperation of the Government of Karnataka and the Chief Minister. It remains committed to cooperative federalism and close coordination with all states," Mr Gadkari said on X.
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
J&K CM Omar Abdullah Physically Grappled By Police Personnel, Says Was Doing Nothing Illegal
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday jumped over the boundary wall of Mazar-e-Shuhada in Srinagar's Naqshband Sahib to offer prayers after allegedly being stopped by the security forces. He shared a video stating that he was 'physically grappled' by the police personnel as he visited the Martyrs' Graveyard in Srinagar on Monday to pay his respects. This comes a day after the Jammu and Kashmir Police sealed the Martyrs' cemetery and confined top political leaders, including Abdullah, inside their residences, barring them from visiting the Martyrs' Graveyard (Mazar-e-Shuhada), to mark the anniversary of the protesters shot dead by Maharaja Hari Singh's Dogra forces on July 13, 1931. The J&K Chief Minister shared a video on the social media platform X and stated that he was doing "nothing unlawful or illegal." "This is the physical grappling I was subjected to but I am made of sterner stuff & was not to be stopped. I was doing nothing unlawful or illegal," he posted. "In fact these 'protectors of the law' need to explain under what law they were trying to stop us from offering Fatiha," he added. This is the physical grappling I was subjected to but I am made of sterner stuff & was not to be stopped. I was doing nothing unlawful or illegal. In fact these 'protectors of the law' need to explain under what law they were trying to stop us from offering Fatiha — Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 14, 2025 According to ANI, Abdullah said that he did not inform anyone before visiting the Mazar-e-Shuhada since he was house arrested on Kashmir Martyrs' Day (Sunday). सीएम उमर अब्दुल्ला ने नक्शबंद साहब की दरगाह का गेट फांदकर पढ़ी फातिहा, पुलिस पर हाथापाई के लगाए आरोप जम्मू-कश्मीर में शहीद दिवस को लेकर विवाद जारी है. अब जम्मू-कश्मीर के मुख्यमंत्री और नेशनल कॉन्फ्रेंस (एनसी) के नेता उमर अब्दुल्ला ने प्रशासन पर हाथापाई के आरोप लगाए हैं. साथ ही… — Zee News (@ZeeNews) July 14, 2025 "Paid my respects & offered Fatiha at the graves of the martyrs of 13th July 1931. The unelected government tried to block my way forcing me to walk from Nawhatta chowk. They blocked the gate to Naqshband Sb shrine forcing me to scale a wall. They tried to physically grapple me but I was not going to be stopped today," Abdullah posted on X. The graveyard is attached to the shrine of Khwaja Bahawuddin Naqshbandi. Abdullah also came down heavily on the 'unelected nominees of New Delhi' for allegedly locking up the elected representatives of Jammu and Kashmir. Taking to X, the Chief Minister shared pictures of police outside his residence, with armoured vehicles parked and movement restricted, as the regional parties, including the National Conference (NC), were denied permission to visit the martyrs' graveyard in Srinagar. Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) chief spokesperson and Zadibal MLA Tanvir Sadiq had also alleged that the elected representatives in the union territory were detained inside their homes to stop them from paying tribute to the martyrs. Meanwhile, after not being allowed to visit the martyrs' graveyard, People's Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti said that the "dil ki doori (distance of hearts)" between Kashmir and the rest of India would end when the Centre accepts Kashmir's heroes as its own, just as Kashmiris have embraced national figures. Martyrs' Day in Kashmir, which was earlier observed as an official holiday in the State, was delisted after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Secretly recorded calls between spouses admissible in legal proceedings: SC
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a spouse may rely on secretly recorded telephonic conversations with the partner in matrimonial disputes, including divorce proceedings, as such communications are not barred under the law and do not amount to a breach of privacy. The ruling reshapes the contours of privacy and evidence within marriage. (ANI) In a significant ruling that reshapes the contours of privacy and evidence within marriage, a bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma set aside a 2021 judgment of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had barred a husband from using a compact disc (CD) or a memory card containing conversations with his estranged wife, recorded without her knowledge. The court relied on Section 122 of the Indian Evidence Act, which bars disclosure of marital communications by one spouse without the other's consent. However, the same provision contains an exception when such communication is brought forth during legal proceedings between the spouses. Section 122 of the Evidence Act has been replaced by Section 121 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. The bench said that while the right to privacy exists between spouses, it is not absolute. The exception under Section 122, it said, must be read in conjunction with the constitutional right to a fair trial, which is also protected under Article 21 of the Constitution. 'We have also referred to the 2017 KS Puttaswamy judgment,' said the court, referring to the landmark ruling that affirmed privacy as a fundamental right. 'However, such rights cannot be applied horizontally in all contexts. Section 122 does not touch upon the right to privacy as envisaged under Article 21 because it is based on the right to a fair trial.' Noting that a conversation between spouses secretly recorded by one of them can be admitted in evidence, the bench emphasised that allowing such evidence in matrimonial cases upholds procedural fairness, particularly where issues like mental cruelty or marital discord are being litigated. 'Privacy of communication exists, but it is not absolute,' the bench said, pointing out that statutory exceptions like those in the Evidence Act reflect a balance between privacy and justice. Dealing with the issue of the protected nature of conversation between spouses, the bench maintained that if spouses are snooping at each other, the marriage seems to have already broken down. 'Snooping is not the result of pending proceedings but rather a symptom of a broken-down marriage,' said the court, adding that such conversations can be validly produced and proved in legal proceedings between them. The Supreme Court restored the earlier order of the Bathinda family court (2020), which allowed the husband to prove the contents of the CD in support of his plea for divorce, provided its authenticity was established. The case arose from a 2017 divorce petition filed by a man against his wife, with whom he had a daughter. In support of his case, the husband submitted a CD of telephonic conversations purportedly between him and his wife, recorded without her knowledge. The Bathinda family court allowed him to prove the contents of the CD, subject to verification of its correctness. In 2021, the Punjab and Haryana High Court reversed this decision, calling the act of recording a 'clear-cut infringement' of the wife's privacy. It also raised concerns over the manner and context in which such conversations were recorded, calling the evidence inadmissible. The husband then approached the Supreme Court, which began examining the interplay between privacy rights and evidentiary rules. During the hearings, the court appointed advocate Vrinda Grover as amicus curiae, who argued that laws like Section 122, framed in a pre-digital era, must be reinterpreted in light of evolving technology and gender dynamics. In its final ruling, the court maintained a statutory interpretation approach, stating that the exceptions under Section 122 must be construed harmoniously with constitutional guarantees, especially the right to a fair trial. The bench concluded that no breach of privacy occurred in the instant case and that such evidence could be tested under appropriate legal standards. 'In view of the aforesaid, we set aside the impugned order and restore the 2020 family court order. The family court is allowed to retrieve the recorded conversations and test it under the pertinent legal provisions,' the court ordered. The ruling is likely to have wide-ranging implications for matrimonial litigation in India, particularly as technology plays an increasing role in evidence gathering and debates around digital privacy continue to evolve.
