ABVP leader among two arrested in Odisha student self-immolation case

Two persons, including the state joint secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, were arrested on Monday in connection with the death of a college student who set herself on fire in Odisha’s Balasore, India Today reported.

The ABVP is the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The 20-year-old undergraduate student had set herself on fire on July 13 after her complaint of sexual harassment by a faculty member at Fakir Mohan Autonomous College allegedly went unaddressed.

She died two days later with 90% burn injuries.

ABVP leader Subhat Sandeep Nayak and Jyoti Prakash Biswal were allegedly present when the student set herself on fire outside the principal’s office, police officials told the news outlet.

It was not immediately clear how the two persons were linked to the matter.

However, The Indian Express and PTI quoted an unidentified Crime Branch officer as alleging that the two persons had instigated the student “to take the extreme step”.

Biswal had also sustained injuries while attempting to rescue the student who had set herself on fire, The Hindu reported.

Just before the incident, the student had met Principal Dilip Ghosh to follow up on her complaint against Assistant Professor Samir Kumar Sahu.

The incident had sparked widespread outrage and political unrest in Odisha.

Sahu was arrested on July 13 and sent to judicial custody. He was...

Read more