Swift Trial Initiative team formed to probe Odisha college student’s death
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Balasore: The Odisha Police have constituted a Swift Trial Initiative (STI) team to fast-track the investigation into the tragic death of a college student who set herself on fire after alleging inaction over her sexual harassment complaint against a professor, a senior officer said on Tuesday.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (Eastern Range) Satyajit Naik stated that the STI team comprises investigators, forensic experts, and prosecutors. The team is currently engaged in collecting medical records and digital evidence and conducting forensic analysis to build a strong case. The initiative is aimed at ensuring a speedy and coordinated investigation into the matter.
Authorities are treating the student’s letter dated July 1, addressed to the Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, Balasore, as the formal First Information Report (FIR), an official confirmed.
The police have arrested the college principal, Dillip Kumar Ghose, on Monday for abetment of suicide. The Head of the Education Department, Samira Kumar Sahu, was arrested earlier on Saturday, shortly after the student set herself ablaze on the college campus.
Both individuals have been charged under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 108/3(5) for abetment of suicide—which carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison—Section 351(2) for criminal intimidation, Section 75(1)(iii) for sexual harassment, and Sections 78 and 79 for stalking and outraging the modesty of a woman.
The deceased, a 20-year-old second-year B.Ed student, had accused Sahu of sexually harassing her. According to officials, she self-immolated on Saturday on campus due to the college’s alleged inaction against the accused professor and sustained 95 per cent burns. She was initially admitted to the Balasore District Hospital and later shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for advanced treatment but succumbed to her injuries.
Balasore Member of Parliament and BJP leader Pratap Sarangi commented on the incident, stating that the college principal failed in his duties by not overseeing the ICC’s investigation properly. Sarangi revealed that the student had approached him personally and that he had advised her to file a police complaint.
He further alleged that the principal had dismissed the student’s harassment claims as false. "The student took this extreme step following the principal's statement," Sarangi claimed.
The case has sparked widespread outrage and intensified calls for institutional accountability and urgent reform in addressing sexual harassment complaints on college campuses.
With PTI inputs
