Thousands bid farewell to Odisha student who set herself on fire

The student had accused a professor of her college of sexually harassing her, alleging that her complaints made to the college authorities were stonewalled.

“Despite adequate resuscitation and all possible supportive management, including renal replacement therapy at Burns ICU, she could not be revived and was declared clinically dead at 11:46 PM on 14/07/25,” said a statement issued by AIIMS, Bhubaneswar late at night.

Thousands, including top district officials and local leaders. gathered at her native village Tuesday for the rites. Later, the victim’s devastated father said he would continue to fight till his daughter gets justice.

Reiterating strict action will be taken against all those responsible for the incident, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh for the student’s family.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) also formed a four-member fact-finding committee to look into the incident and assess the measures that the institution has adopted for the safety of female students.

It has also been mandated to engage students, faculty administrators, and support staff to the institute’s culture. It has a week to submit its report.

The death has snowballed into a major political flashpoint, with the Opposition seeking to corner the ruling Mohan Majhi government over what they call “systemic failure” and “institutional betrayal”.

In a post on X, former chief minister and the state’s current Leader of Opposition, Naveen Patnaik said: “It is even more disturbing to think how a failed system can take someone’s life. The most painful part is that this was not an accident, but rather the result of a system that remained silent instead of helping. Struggling for justice, the girl ultimately closed her eyes”.

“The entire sequence of events reveals that this is nothing less than institutional betrayal — a planned injustice,” wrote Patnaik on X.

The BJD has demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident and announced state-wide protests. The regional party called for Balasore bandh on Wednesday. The Congress and its Left allies have called for statewide bandh on July 17.

In a blistering post, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, called the student’s death “nothing less than a murder by the BJP’s system.”

“That brave student raised her voice against sexual harassment — but instead of delivering justice, she was threatened, tormented, and repeatedly humiliated. Those who were supposed to protect her kept breaking her,” Gandhi said in a post on X.

Gandhi alleged that the BJP’s system “continued to shield the accused — and forced an innocent daughter to set herself on fire”. “This is not suicide; it is an organised murder by the system,” he said, questioning the “silence” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over such issues.

Hitting back at Gandhi, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said it’s unfortunate that Rahul Gandhi and Congress are playing “cheap politics” on the tragic incident involving Odisha’s daughter.

“Turning a serious and sensitive matter into a political weapon reflects @RahulGandhi’s petty mindset. The incident in Odisha has shaken the entire nation, but Congress has seized this opportunity to bake its political bread,” he posts on X.