Odisha Student Wrote To College About Professor Harassing For Sexual Favours

Days before she set herself on fire over alleged sexual harassment by her college professor, a student of a leading government college in Odisha’s Balasore had written to the institute authorities that she was under mental stress and could take an extreme step.

The student, in her complaint on July 1, alleged that she was subjected to mental harassment by the accused, who also threatened to fail her in some subjects and make her repeat a year, it is learnt. She is learnt to have alleged that he had been harassing her ever since she refused his demand for sexual favours.

With her condition extremely critical, an eight-member expert committee has been formed by AIIMS Bhubaneswar to monitor the treatment. AIIMS Director Ashutosh Biswas said she has sustained 90-95 per cent burn injuries and is on ventilator support.

On Sunday, the student’s father alleged she was being pressured by the college authorities to withdraw her complaint. He said he had met the accused teacher in January, after the latter stopped her from attending classes, and requested him not to harass her.

“It’s heart-wrenching to see her like this. She was good at studies and cultural activities,” he said.