Tragic Incident: College Student's Desperate Act Sparks Outrage Over Alleged Harassment
A Disturbing Case of Alleged Harassment
Bhubaneswar: The father of a 20-year-old college student, who attempted self-immolation, has accused the college administration of pressuring his daughter to retract her sexual harassment complaint. This incident occurred on Sunday, following her distress over the handling of her case.
The father, speaking to reporters in Bhubaneswar, pointed fingers at Dillip Ghose, the principal of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College. He stated, "Minutes after meeting the principal, my daughter set herself on fire. She had gone to inquire about the findings of the Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) regarding her allegations."
According to him, the principal informed her that the ICC found no evidence to support her claims against Samira Kumar Sahu, the head of the education department. This revelation, he believes, exacerbated her mental anguish, leading to her tragic decision.
Principal Ghose acknowledged that he met with the victim and provided her with counseling. He also warned her that the college might take action against her for making false allegations against a faculty member, as per the father's account.
The father further alleged that Sahu had threatened to ruin his daughter's academic future if she did not comply with his inappropriate requests. He claimed, "After she filed a complaint with the ICC, he rallied some students to assert that her allegations were unfounded. She was under tremendous mental pressure, and the principal failed to offer her any support."
The father recounted his own meeting with the principal after his daughter filed her complaint, where Ghose assured him that he would address the issues at hand. He expressed disbelief that the principal could not prevent his daughter from attempting suicide.
The young woman had initially lodged her complaint on June 30 and staged a protest on campus two days later. Her brother mentioned that she had also reached out on social media, tagging various officials, including the chief minister and local representatives, pleading for justice.
In the wake of the incident, Principal Ghose was suspended by the Higher Education department. He has since expressed fears for his safety and requested protection from local authorities.
Prof. Santosh Tripathy, Vice-Chancellor of Fakir Mohan University, stated that the situation could have been avoided had the college acted swiftly on the victim's allegations. He remarked, "The principal is a good man, but immediate action was necessary. The girl waited for about 11 days before resorting to such a drastic measure."
The victim's father dismissed any notion that his daughter was emotionally fragile, highlighting her accomplishments as a master trainer in self-defense, a talented poet, and a recent Best Actress award winner at her college. With a heavy heart, he lamented, "I don’t even know if I’ll be able to bring my daughter home."
Meanwhile, a three-member committee from the higher education department, led by Kali Prasanna Mohapatra, is investigating the matter, questioning Principal Ghose and ICC members.