The former chief minister said the brave student also personally met the Balasore MP to share her plight. “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,” Patnaik said.
The BJD president said: “The entire sequence of events reveals that this is nothing less than institutional betrayal—a planned injustice. I once again urge the Honourable Governor to ensure that not only the college authorities but also those in power, who failed to take any action despite the victim’s desperate pleas, are held accountable.” “May the departed soul find eternal peace. I pray once again to Lord Jagannath to grant strength and courage to the family members to face this immense sorrow. Om Shanti,” Patnaik said in a social media post.
The second-year B.Ed student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, Balasore died on Monday night at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar after fighting for her life for three days.
She set herself on fire on the campus on Saturday over alleged inaction against a professor who allegedly sexually harassed her. She had suffered 95 per cent burns.
The principal and the HoD of the Education Department of the college in Balasore have been arrested in the case. PTI AAM AAM RG
