Self-immolation bid: Odisha victim's father demands harshest punishment for 'culprits'

Bhubaneswar, July 13 (IANS) The father of Soumyashree Bisi, the female B.Ed student, who is undergoing treat at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar following self-immolation bid over alleged sexual harassment by Head of Department (HoD) at the Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore, on Sunday demanded harshest punishment against the culprits to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.

“This is not just about my daughter. If justice is not delivered now, more daughters will suffer the same fate. I appeal to the government to ensure the harshest punishment for those who did this to her,” said Balaram Bisi, Soumyashree’s father, fighting back tears.

While speaking to the media, the heartbroken father expressed his anguish, saying that what happened to his daughter Soumyashree is beyond comprehension. “I was assured by the authorities that action would be taken and justice would be served, but all I got were false promises. I was asked to trust them, to remain silent. But today, my daughter is lying in a hospital bed, struggling to survive,” said Balaram.

He recounted how his daughter had shared her ordeal with him—about the harassment she faced and how she was mentally tortured. Balaram also stated that his daughter had placed her trust in the system, but that trust was broken. The grieving father expressed his anguish over the delayed response by college authorities and the police.

“The accused professor continued to work, and no immediate steps were taken even after repeated complaints. My daughter was left to suffer in silence,” added Balaram. Recalling the painful turn of events, the victim’s mother, Sabita Bisi, revealed, “Soumyashree told us she was being mentally harassed by a teacher after the exams. She had even lodged a formal complaint. For the last 15 days, she was under immense stress.”

Sabita further stated that her only wish is that her daughter recover and come back to the family safely.

Soumyashree, with over 90 per cent burn injuries, is battling for life at the Intensive Care Unit of AIIMS, Bhubaneswar.

Notably, the victim set herself ablaze after pouring petrol on herself in front of the Principal's chamber on Saturday. The student with severe burn wounds was rushed to Balasore Medical College, but was later shifted to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, for advanced treatment.

Prior to the self-immolation bid, Soumyashree had staged a sit-in protest near the college campus demanding action against the accused HoD of the BEd department, Samir Kumar Sahu, for the alleged misbehaviour. She was very upset as no action was taken against the HoD by the college authorities despite her lodging a formal complaint against the accused Sahu.

Sahu was immediately arrested by the Sahadevkhunta Police after a case was registered against him under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including 108 (abetment to suicide), 75(1)(iii) (sexual harassment), etc. The Principal of the FM College, Dillip Kumar Ghose, has also been placed under suspension for failing to deal with the matter properly.

--IANS

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