Statewide Unrest in Odisha: Calls for Judicial Probe After Student's Self-Immolation 
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Statewide Unrest in Odisha: Calls for Judicial Probe After Student's Self-Immolation

A massive protest took place outside Odisha Assembly on Wednesday morning over the female student's self-immolation.

Harsh Raj

Heavy drama unfolded outside Odisha Assembly, Bidhan Sabha, this morning after several people staged protests following the death of the college student who set herself on fire.

Security was strengthened at the state secretariat Lok Seva Bhavan in Bhubaneswar in view of the BJD's protest. The opposition party, which is also enforcing an eight-hour bandh in Balasore district, has been demanding a judicial probe into the incident.

Videos from the protest site show protestors trying to break the barricade and police forces shooting water canons to disperse them. The state police charged the protestors with tear gas shells and water canons.

A broad coalition of opposition parties in Odisha, led by the Congress, has also called for a statewide bandh on Thursday, July 17, in protest.

The 20-year-old, who was pursuing B. Ed. at Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore, set herself ablaze on campus after allegedly enduring prolonged sexual harassment. The woman sustained 90 per cent burns and died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar on Monday night.

Her repeated complaints of sexual harassment by her Department head, Sameer Kumar Sahoo, allegedly went unaddressed by the principal and college authorities, following which she took such a drastic step.

Students said the woman had been visibly distressed for weeks, allegedly due to repeated harassment by Sahoo, who is accused of making inappropriate demands and threatening academic repercussions if she did not comply.

Dillip Kumar Ghosh, the college's principal, and the accused, Sameer Kumar Sahoo, were arrested following the incident.

In view of the protests, security has been tightened across several government buildings in the capital city of Bhubaneswar, including Rajiv Bhavan and Kharavela Bhavan, which are located in the vicinity of the Lok Seva Bhavan.

Source: India Today

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