She was killed: Odisha student's father alleges conspiracy behind self-immolation

"My daughter did not die — she was killed," said the father of the 20-year-old B.Ed student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Odisha's Balasore, who succumbed to severe burn injuries after setting herself on fire inside the college campus.

Calling it a 'conspiracy', the grieving father accused college authorities of pushing his daughter to take the extreme step because she dared to speak up.

"This was a plot against my daughter. She always raised her voice in college, so they targeted her. Everyone forced her to die. Is this not murder? They forced her to attempt suicide. Why was she called alone to meet in the principal’s room? What happened inside that room? Why were we not informed?" he told news agency ANI, demanding answers from the administration.

The student, who had sustained 90 per cent burns, died at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Monday night. Her father claimed she never revealed the full extent of her ordeal but had told him the accused, Sameer Ranjan Sahoo, the Head of Department, was demanding sexual favours.

"My daughter didn’t open up completely but said the accused was pressuring her. He even told me, ‘I am her teacher, don’t worry’. The Internal Committee members are responsible for this. They heckled my daughter in front of the accused," he said.

The young woman had filed a formal complaint with the college’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), accusing Sahoo of prolonged sexual harassment. She had alleged that the college principal, Dillip Ghose, and other staff failed to act despite repeated pleas for help.

Her death has sparked widespread outrage in Odisha. Former Chief Minister and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik held the BJP-led state government responsible for what he called “institutional betrayal” and "planned injustice". In a strongly worded statement, Patnaik said the student went from pillar to post for justice but was failed by the very system meant to protect her.

"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," Patnaik said.

Meanwhile, the family has demanded a thorough probe into the role of the accused professor, the principal, and the Internal Committee. They have asked why the victim was made to meet alone behind closed doors and what transpired before she walked out to attempt self-immolation.

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