A 20-year-old college student from Odisha died at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Monday night after she set herself on fire. She was studying B.Ed. at Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore. The student took this extreme step on campus after she was allegedly sexually harassed for a long time by her Head of Department.

She had complained several times, but the principal and college authorities did not act on her complaints. She had suffered severe burns on 90% of her body and could not survive. The Burn Centre at AIIMS Bhubaneswar said the student was brought there on July 12 after being sent from Balasore District Hospital. Doctors gave her the best possible treatment, including life support, medicines, and kidney therapy. But she died from her injuries late on July 14. The hospital said she was declared dead at 11:46 PM on July 14.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi shared his sadness over her death. He promised strict action against those responsible. "I am deeply saddened by the death of the female student from FM Autonomous College," he wrote on X. "Even though the government and doctors tried their best, we could not save her life."

The Chief Minister also promised full support to the student’s family and said strict action would be taken against those responsible. He said, "All the people guilty in this case will get the strictest punishment. I have given orders to the officials. The government stands with the family."

According to other students, the young woman had been very stressed for weeks because her Head of Department, Sameer Kumar Sahoo, was harassing her again and again. Her batchmates said he made inappropriate demands and threatened her that she would face problems in her studies if she did not listen to him.

She had complained to the college principal and even to the local police, but no strong action was taken. Students said an internal committee was formed but it did not do much. She set herself on fire soon after meeting the principal on Saturday. Her father blamed the principal for her suffering, and her mother demanded the harshest punishment for those involved.

After this incident, the college principal, Dillip Kumar Ghosh, was arrested. A local court sent him to jail for 14 days. Many people were angry about what happened. Opposition parties protested in Bhubaneswar and Balasore, saying the government failed to protect women in the state.