Odisha Student Suicide: Principal Ignored Internal Committee's Sexual Harassment Report

Last Updated:July 15, 2025, 22:05 IST

Fakir Mohan College Principal Dillip Ghose is accused of having deliberately ignored the Internal Committee report based on a 22-year-old student's complaint of sexual harassment.

Odisha college student set herself on fire over sexual harassment by teacher | Image: X

Odisha Student Suicide: In a new twist in the case of an Odisha student, who died after self-immolating due to a lack of action on her sexual harassment complaint, it has now been revealed that the principal of her college had ignored a report which warned of inappropriate behaviour by the Head of Department (HoD).

The 22-year-old B.Ed student from Balasore, who studied at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, attempted self-immolation over inaction by the college administration on her sexual harassment complaint against the head of her department. She was admitted to AIIMS Delhi after being referred from the Balasore District Headquarters, but succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday.

The principal of the college, Dillip Ghose, was arrested on Monday in connection with the case. According to reports, Ghose deliberately ignored a report by the college’s Internal Complaint Committee (ICC), which conducted an inquiry after the student’s complaint and found that the conduct of the HOD, Sameer Sahoo, was inappropriate.

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The committee had recommended Sahoo’s immediate removal from the HoD position, suggesting that such action could have prevented the tragic outcome. The report was submitted to Ghose, but no action was taken. Instead, the principal allegedly tried to shield the accused and even attempted to reinstate him.

Notably, the second-year B.Ed student had stated that she was struggling emotionally and would be forced to die by suicide if the college failed to respond to her plea for justice. Despite the gravity of the allegation and the student’s desperate warning, no action was reportedly taken against the accused, and the student set herself on fire outside the principal’s office.

The inaction by college authorities raised serious questions on the principal’s role in the case, as he allegedly influenced the investigation in favour of the accused. ICC member Minati Siri said that the victim would have been satisfied had proper action been taken.

Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced an ex gratia of Rs 20 lakh for the family of the college student and directed officers concerned to conduct a proper investigation into the incident.

Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...Read More

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...

Read More

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