Odisha: College girl sets herself on fire over sexual harassment by professor

In Odisha, a girl student of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore district has set herself on fire inside the campus alleging sexual harassment by an assistant professor. The girl has been shifted to AIIMS at Bhubaneswar and her condition is said to be very critical as she has sustained more than 90 percent burn injuries. Another male student of the college, who attempted to save her, also suffered serious injuries. The police have arrested the accused assistant professor.

Taking a serious note of the self-immolation attempt by the girl student, the Odisha government has placed the college principal and the assistant professor under



suspension. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi visited AIIMS, Bhubaneswar this afternoon and enquired about the treatment of the girl student and met her family members. Opposition BJD and Congress have staged demonstrations in Bhubaneswar and demanded resignation of the Odisha Chief Minister and Higher Education Minister.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women has taken suo moto cognizance of the incident and asked the Director General of Odisha Police for an independent inquiry and submit report within three days. It also asked him to take stringent action against the culprits.