A college girl in Orissa ,  who had set herself on fire in a college campus  in Balasore ,  after the  administration  ignored her  repeated complaints of sexual harassment by a college teacher,  died in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhuvneshwar on Monday night  due to her severe burn injures .

The 20 year old second year college student pursuing her B.Ed programme at Balasore had accused the head of the Education department of the college Samira Kumar Sahu of sexually harassing her. She set herself on fire by pouring petrol on Saturday in the college campus after the administration allegedly ignored her repeated complaints against Sahu.

President of India Draupadi Murmu, who was in Bhuvneshwar to attend convocation, had visited the girl admitted in AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Monday, accompanied by Orissa CM Mohan Charan Manjhi and HRD Minister Dharmender Pradhan.

A police spokesman said, “The police has registered an FIR in the case based on complaint and arrested Sahu, while principal of the college Dilip Kumar Ghosh has also been taken into police custody.”

The death has triggered a major political controversy in Orissa with both the BJD and the Congress demanding judicial inquiry. Former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik said the girl was denied justice at every level.

Orissa CM Mohan Charan Majhi said, “I assure the family of the deceased student all those guilty in this case will face the stringent punishment as per the law. For this, I have personally issued instructions to the authorities. The government stands firmly with the family.”

(With PTI inputs)

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