The principal of a college in Odisha's Balasore district was arrested on Monday in connection with the self-immolation of a female student on campus, police said.
The opposition party strongly criticised the incident and also urged President Droupadi Murmu, who is on a two-day visit to Odisha, to meet the victim in the state and ensure justice.
A two-member team of the Crime Branch is investigating the incident following outrage across the state.
The Education Department has also formed a three-member committee to inquire into the incident.
Dillip Ghose, the principal of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, was suspended on Saturday after the B.Ed student attempted suicide by setting herself on fire, alleging inaction over her complaint against her professor, who sexually harassed her.
The state's Higher Education Department in the suspension order said the principal had failed to handle the matter properly and perform his duties.
He was accused of shielding Education Department's HoD Samira Kumar Sahu, who has already been arrested by the police.
"My daughter set herself on fire minutes after coming out of the principal's room. The principal had put pressure on her to withdraw the complaint against the teacher who sexually and mentally harassed my daughter," her father alleged.
Congress Slams BJP Government In State, Centre
The Congress on Monday slammed the BJP's "double engine" government in Odisha and demanded a judicial probe into the incident as well as Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi's resignation.
The opposition party also urged President Droupadi Murmu, who is on a two-day visit to Odisha, to meet the victim in the state and ensure justice.
The 20-year-old second-year Integrated B.Ed student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore on Saturday afternoon set herself on fire after being denied justice over a sexual harassment complaint lodged by her against her teacher. The student with severe burn injuries was first admitted at the Balasore District Headquarters Hospital and then shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for advanced treatment.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh called the incident deeply disturbing.
"In a college in Balasore, a female student, fed up with prolonged sexual harassment by the head of the department, set herself on fire on the campus itself. She has been severely injured and is currently battling for her life at AIIMS Bhubaneswar," Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X.
"The victim is also an office-bearer of the student organization of the ruling party. She had sought help from the principal 20 days ago and had formally lodged a complaint, but she was completely ignored," he said.
If a female office-bearer of the ruling party herself is so helpless in Odisha, where a "double-engine" government is in power, what must be the state of safety for ordinary women, Ramesh asked.
"Amidst hollow slogans like 'Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao', the BJP government is only focused on saving its false image, while its record on women's safety over the past 11 years has been utterly shameful. There has been a continuous rise in sexual violence and other crimes against women," Ramesh said.
Under the BJP's rule, daughters are not safe anywhere—neither on campuses, nor on the streets, he alleged.
"The truth is, how can women even hope for justice from the BJP government when several of its own leaders are embroiled in serious allegations of sexual harassment and anti-woman behaviour?" Ramesh said.
Earlier, addressing a press conference along with Odisha MLA Sofia Firdous, Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba said, "This student is an office-bearer of ABVP, the student affiliate of the BJP-RSS. The Head of the Department (HoD), Sameer Kumar Sahu, was continuously pressuring this B.Ed student for sexual favours. The HoD was threatening her that if she did not comply with his demands for sexual favours, she would face consequences." "The student did not accept these threats and reported the entire matter to the school principal, Dilip Ghosh, on June 30. The committee formed to investigate the case questioned the student instead of the HoD for 10 days. Fed up with the mental harassment, the student went on a protest sit-in after 11 days, but when she felt that justice would not be served, she set herself on fire on the college campus," she said.
All this is happening in Odisha under BJP's "double engine" government, Lamba said.
Despite strict laws, crimes against women are increasing, she said, alleging that in Odisha, there is pressure from BJP-RSS and ABVP officials on the police and administration.
"The President of India, Droupadi Murmu ji, herself hails from Odisha. Today, she is attending an event at the same AIIMS Bhubaneswar where this female student is admitted in critical condition. We just want to say that President ji should meet this female student," Lamba said.
"I want to ask Droupadi Murmu ji, will you meet that girl or not?" Lamba said.
She alleged that Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan are witnessing a peak in crime and the BJP government there is completely shielding criminals.
"Our plea to the President ji is that you will spend hours at AIIMS today, so please do meet that girl, so that she can get justice," she said.
President Murmu is on a two-day visit to Odisha from Monday during which she will attend the convocation ceremonies of AIIMS Bhubaneswar and Ravenshaw University in Cuttack.
Lamba pointed out that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had sent a delegation of MPs to meet the victim's family.
"Our MPs have met the victim's family and prepared a report, which will be released soon. We are making every effort to ensure that the victim gets justice, but when Congress workers went to meet the victim yesterday, the BJP government and ABVP did not allow us to meet her," she said.
Congress MLA from Odisha's Baramati Sofia Firdous said the party demands that Chief Minister Majhi should resign, taking responsibility for it.
"A judicial inquiry should be conducted in this matter so that the culprits are punished and PM (Narendra) Modi should break his silence and answer the people of Odisha," she said.
(With PTI inputs)
