A student in Orissa sets herself on fire after being asked for sexual favours by a teacher

The student is battling for life, and an 8-member expert committee has been constituted at AIIMS to monitor her condition.

A student, 20, from Fakir Mohan College in Balasore is battling for her life at the AIIMS Bhubaneswar after allegedly setting herself on fire on Saturday. She took this step in protest against inaction on her sexual harassment complaint against a faculty member.

An Orissa student sets herself on fire after a teacher asks her for sexual favours.

The 20-year-old student in Orissa, after being asked for sexual favours by her teacher, set herself on fire. The 2nd-year Integrated B.Ed student suffered severe burn injuriescovering approximately 95% of her body. As per Dr. Ashutosh Biswas, AIIMS Bhubaneswar Executive Director, her kidneys and lungs are also affected, and her condition remains “highly critical.” He said in a media briefing on Sunday, “She is on critical care support. Her entire body is burned except for a few patches on her face. The next 48 hours are crucial. We cannot say anything definite at this moment.” 

A committee has been set to monitor the student’s condition.

For this purpose, an 8-member expert committee has been constituted at AIIMS to monitor her condition with doctors from anaesthesia, plastic surgery, pulmonary medicine, nephrology, and other critical departments on round-the-clock duty. Mohan Charan Majhi, Odisha’s Chief Minister, is scheduled to visit the student on Sunday, confirmed Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling, who met with the victim’s family earlier in the day.

The student had lodged a formal complaint against Samira Kumar Sahu, a teacher and the Head of Department, on June 30, alleging sexual and mental harassment. She was also staging a week-long protest on campus demanding action. On Saturday afternoon, she reportedly doused herself in a flammable liquid and set herself ablaze within the college premises, after meeting college principal Dilip Ghosh.