Latest news with #AIIMSBhubaneswar
New Indian Express
3 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Palasi mourns, seeks justice for its daughter
BALASORE: An air of mourning filled Palasi, the native village of the 20-year-old female student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore's Bhograi block on Tuesday as her mortal remains were consigned to flames. The victim had visited her home on July 5, on the occasion of Bahuda Yatra. Her aunt, Sashmita, recalled that she seemed stressed during the visit. 'She took some photos of her cousins and they asked her to come again later so they could go out together,' she said. Her cousins said that she left early on July 6 for the college. 'That was the last time we saw her,' they said. Neighbours recall her as a bright and a well-behaved student. She was one of the top scorers when she studied at the Rural Institute of Higher Studies in Bhograi. 'We never expected her to take such a drastic step,' a local resident shared. The villagers of Palasi echoed the family's demand for justice, insisting that mere arrests were not enough. 'We urge the government and judiciary to ensure the harshest punishment for the accused,' they said. The victim, a second-year BEd student of the college, was allegedly harassed by head of department Samira Sahu for several months. However, alleging inaction by the college authorities, she had set herself ablaze on the college premises on Saturday and suffered 95 per cent burn injuries. She succumbed while undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Monday night. Her uncle, Ramkrushna, demanded strict action against the assistant professor and the now-suspended principal of the college, Dillip Ghosh. 'Both of them are responsible for my niece's death. We want life imprisonment for Ghosh and a death sentence for Sahu. Only then will it send a strong message across the country to prevent such abuse by teachers,' he said. Meanwhile, thousands gathered to bid farewell to the victim, including Balasore MP Pratap Sarangi, Bhogarai MLA Gautambuddha Das, and Balasore Sadar MLA Manas Dutta. Her body was handed over to the family after a postmortem and transported to Palasi in a hearse under police escort.
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Balasore sexual harassment case: She taught others to fight, but when she cried for help, no one turned up
File photo BALASORE: She taught others to fight. She raised her voice. But when she cried for help, no one listened. The 20-year-old college student who set herself on fire after accusing her professor of sexual harassment was cremated Tuesday amid tears, anger and disbelief in her village in Odisha's Balasore district. Doctors at AIIMS Bhubaneswar declared her dead on Monday night, nearly 60 hours after the second-year student was admitted with critical burns. Her body arrived early Tuesday. Villagers gathered silently, some in shock, many in grief. Her mother wept beside the coffin: "She had gone to college after Bahuda Yatra and said she would return soon. She promised. But she came back... like this." The father, a clerk at a government-run women's college, stood frozen. "My daughter was strong. If the investigation had been done properly from the beginning, maybe this wouldn't have happened," he said. Wrapped in white, the woman who once taught self-defence, wrote poetry, excelled in stage acting and social work, and was taking disaster management classes, now lay still. Her elder brother, 24, choked through his sorrow. "No matter how much politics is played now or how loudly people demand justice, what difference will it make?" The funeral procession passed through narrow lanes where she once played, studied and spoke up. "Long live the brave daughter," mourners shouted as her body was taken to the cremation ground under heavy police deployment. Balasore MP Pratap Sarangi, Bhograi MLA Gautambuddha Das, Balasore Sadar MLA Manas Dutta, and Remuna MLA Gobinda Chandra Das attended the funeral. District officials also paid respects. At the cremation site, the grief broke into questions. "Why did no one help her? Why was her voice ignored?" asked neighbour Sunil Kar. "She dared to speak. But her courage was met with silence." Now, only silence remains.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Tragic Balasore Case: Student's Fatal Self-Immolation Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations
B Tired of too many ads? go ad free now HUBANESWAR/BALASORE: Burns over 70% of the body are life-threatening. The victim had more than 90%, said Dr Dillip Kumar Parida, medical superintendent of AIIMS Bhubaneswar. "She arrived dehydrated. Her urine had stopped. Respiratory burns had damaged her lungs. We tried hard. But the chances were always slim," Dr Parida added. Odisha chief minister (CM) Mohan Charan Majhi has announced Rs 20 lakh in interim compensation for the family and promised the "strictest action" against those responsible for the student's self-immolation. The young woman had filed a formal police complaint on July 1 against an assistant professor for sexual harassment, a day after first reporting the matter to the college principal and tagging state authorities in a social media post. The college's students had been protesting since then, demanding action. The day of her self-immolation marked the eighth day of agitation. Medical experts said that the severity of her injuries worsened when she ran while on fire, intensifying the burns. "In such cases, the first six hours are critical," said Dr Parida. "But she reached our facility four-and-a-half hours after the act. By then, it was already too late." The student's death sparked a public reckoning over emergency response and fire safety awareness. Former chief fire officer Bhabagrahi Ghadei said that spraying water and covering her with a thick, wet cloth could have minimised the flames. "Rolling her on the ground or covering her would have saved her from deeper burns," he added. Police have arrested the accused faculty member and the principal, who allegedly tried to pressure the student into withdrawing her complaint. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A fact-finding committee has been set up by UGC, while governor and university chancellor Hari Babu Kambhampati vowed "uncompromising punishment". The student's father is a clerk at a govt women's college. He stood near her pyre, trying to make sense of it all. "My daughter was a self-defence master trainer, disaster management trainee, best actress winner, poet, and social worker. Why would she take such an extreme step?" he asked. "If the investigation had started earlier, maybe she would still be here." "She wanted to become a politician. I always wanted her to come home in a convoy, but she came in a hearse," her brother added.
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Time of India
A village turns up to bid farewell to its brave daughter
Balasore: With moist eyes and heavy hearts, a village bade farewell to the 20-year-old girl who died late on Monday at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. Tears flowed as mourners gathered on Tuesday at the cremation ground where her last rites were performed. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The cremation ground became a stage of sorrow, anger and frustration broken only by the cries of grieving family members. "She had gone to college after Bahuda Yatra and said she would return soon. She promised she would come back. But she never did. She came back… like this," her mother recalled, standing beside the lifeless body of the daughter, tears rolling down. The deceased, who was a second-year integrated BEd student, had been battling for her life for nearly 60 hours at AIIMS Bhubaneswar after allegedly attempting self-immolation on her college campus. The incident followed allegations of sexual harassment by the head of the department of education. On Monday night, her fight came to an end, as doctors declared her dead at 11:46 pm. Her 24-year-old elder brother, who works in a private company, spoke through his grief. "No matter how much politics is played now or how loudly people demand justice, what difference will it make? I will never get my sister back," he said. Her mortal remains arrived at the village early Tuesday morning. As the body was brought home for the last time, villagers gathered in large numbers, forced to confront the death of one of their daughters who was bright and an outspoken young woman. Wrapped in white, the young girl, who once taught others about courage and self-defence, who raised her voice against injustice, lay still. "Why did no one help her? Why was her voice ignored?" asked Sunil Kar, a grieving neighbour, echoing the question on everyone's mind. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a world where silence is often the norm, the girl dared to speak — but her courage was met with apathy. Her cries for help, her formal complaint, and her appeals to authorities — all seemingly fell on deaf ears. Balasore MP Pratap Sarangi, Bhograi MLA Gautambuddha Das, Balasore Sadar MLA Manas Dutta, Remuna MLA Gobinda Chandra Das along with the district administration officials were present at the funeral, which was held under tight police security. Her body was taken in a funeral procession through the village — the same streets where she once laughed, played and dreamt of a better tomorrow. Slogans of 'long live the brave daughter' echoed through the air as the procession made its way to the cremation ground. Her father, a clerk in a govt-run women's college, stood in disbelief. "Why would my daughter take such an extreme step?" he asked, his voice trembling. "If the investigation had been done properly from the beginning, maybe this wouldn't have happened," he wondered.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
BJD asks Odisha higher education minister to resign after Balasore student death
Following the death of a Balasore student, who set herself on fire, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Leader Ipsita Sahoo said that the Higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj must resign. BJD leader Elina Dash also accused the state government and police of covering up the incident.(PTI) "Why are BJP leaders allowed inside the hospital, but we (BJD) are not allowed even outside it. Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj must resign," said Sahoo, speaking to ANI on Tuesday. In addition to this, another BJD leader, Elina Dash, on Tuesday accused the state government and police of covering up the incident, claiming the student had died earlier than officially declared. Speaking to ANI, Dash said, "They officially declared at night that she is no more, but we knew she had died when she was 95% burnt. They staged the entire drama because the President was going to come. They had a plan to take the body discreetly during the night." Adding further she said, "We are fighting for justice. We will not leave until she and her family get justice. We will not leave until she and her family get justice. The police are the partner in rime and are protecting them in everything. We will not let them take the body away till the Higher Education Minister and the Chief Minister resign. There will be protests in every district and village. The Department of Burn Centre, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, said in a statement that the patient was brought to the casualty on Saturday and was referred from Balasore District Headquarters Hospital to AIIMS Bhubaneswar. "She was admitted to the Burns Centre ICU. The patient was resuscitated with IV fluids, IV antibiotics, intubated and put on mechanical ventilation. Despite adequate resuscitation and all possible support management, including renal replacement therapy at the Burns ICU, she could not be revived and was declared clinically dead at 11:46 PM on Monday," the statement read. The 20-year-old student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Odisha's Balasore district set herself on fire after allegedly facing prolonged sexual harassment by her college's Head of the Department. Despite lodging a formal complaint and seeking help from the principal, her pleas were ignored, leading to the tragic incident. Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-23389090 from Sumaitri (Delhi-based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based).
