The death of a college student after she set herself on fire over alleged sexual harassment has kicked up a storm in Odisha, with the Opposition targeting the ruling Mohan Majhi over what they call “systemic failure” and “institutional betrayal”.
The college student, who had accused a professor of sexually harassing her and had been battling for her life for days, succumbed to her injuries late Monday night. She had accused college authorities of inaction over her complaint about the alleged harassment.
Her last rites were conducted at her native village in Balasore district.
Following this, Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress sought to corner the state’s Bharatiya Janata Party government, with their youth and student wings holding protests on the campus of the AIIMS, Bhubaneshwar, where she had been admitted.
In a post on X, former chief minister and the state’s current Leader of Opposition, Naveen Patnaik said: “It is even more disturbing to think how a failed system can take someone’s life. The most painful part is that this was not an accident, but rather the result of a system that remained silent instead of helping. Struggling for justice, the girl ultimately closed her eyes”.
Even though the college authorities ignored her complaint about the sexual harassment, she had reached out to the higher education minister, chief minister’s office, a Union minister and personally met Balasore MP Pratap Sarangi to seek justice, the post said.
“If even one person had taken responsibility and intervened personally, perhaps the girl’s life could have been saved. She did not lose her life solely due to physical trauma but also because of the negligence of the state government, which left her alone in her struggle. The entire sequence of events reveals that this is nothing less than institutional betrayal– a planned injustice,” wrote Patnaik on X, seeking the governor’s intervention to ensure “not just the college authorities but the people in power should be held responsible”.
Story continues below this ad
The BJD’s student and youth wings announced protests across Odisha, while the Congress and its Left allies have called for statewide bandh on July 17.
In a blistering post, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, called the student’s death “nothing less than a murder by the BJP’s system.”
“That brave student raised her voice against sexual harassment — but instead of delivering justice, she was threatened, tormented, and repeatedly humiliated. Those who were supposed to protect her kept breaking her,” Gandhi said in a post on X.
Gandhi alleged that the BJP’s system “continued to shield the accused — and forced an innocent daughter to set herself on fire”.
Story continues below this ad
“This is not suicide; it is an organised murder by the system,” he said, questioning the “silence” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over such issues.
Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi reiterated that a thorough investigation will be conducted into the incident and announced financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh for the student’s family.
Hitting back at Gandhi, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said it’s unfortunate that Rahul Gandhi and Congress are playing “cheap politics” on the tragic incident involving Odisha’s daughter.
“Turning a serious and sensitive matter into a political weapon reflects @RahulGandhi’s petty mindset. The incident in Odisha has shaken the entire nation, but Congress has seized this opportunity to bake its political bread,” he posts on X.
