Odisha student death: Principal, HoD arrested, CM announces ex-gratia

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday announced ex gratia of Rs 20 lakh for the family of the college student who died by setting herself on fire over alleged inaction on her sexual harassment complaint. Majhi directed officers concerned to conduct a proper investigation into the incident so that all guilty are punished in accordance with the law, according to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO). Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati also expressed grief over the death of the student."Shattered to learn of the untimely loss of a young student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College. Her passing is not just a tragedy—it is a stark reminder of the urgent need to safeguard our campuses," he said in a post on X.  The principal and the HoD of the Education Department of the college in Balasore have been arrested in the case.

The second-year B.Ed student 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. Meanwhile, eight political parties, including the Congress, have called for ‘Odisha bandh’ over the death of an Odisha student due to self-immolation. As per news agency report, protesting outside AIIMS in Bhunaeswar, parties alleged a cover-up by the state government, and sought the sacking of Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj.

#WATCH | Bhubaneswar, Odisha | Congress workers, early morning today, staged a protest following the death of the Balasore self-immolation student victim, outside AIIMS. The protesting Congress workers were detained by police. pic.twitter.com/JGdx6I1BkS

— ANI (@ANI) July 15, 2025

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) workers held protests in Bhubaneswar outside AIIMS. According to a bulletin by AIIMS Bhubaneswar, the Odisha student was declared dead at 11:46 pm on Monday, two days after she was brought to the hospital by her friend and was "resuscitated with IV fluids, IV antibiotics, intubated and put on mechanical ventilation". Hours before she died, President Murmu visited her at the hospital assured her parents all help in her treatment. The victim was a second-year student of B.Ed (integrated) at the college. She set herself on fire a day after Samir Kumar Sahu, the head of the educational department against whom she had levelled sexual harassment allegations, was given a clean chit by the Internal Complaints Committee of the institution.