Balasore: Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College authorities have relieved Dr Santosh Kumar Nayak of his duties as Head of the Department (HoD) of Odia following a formal complaint from a female student.
The student lodged an allegation petition against Nayak, an Assistant Professor in the Odia department and a long-serving faculty member, on April 6, 2026. The complaint reached the Principal’s office around 1:15 PM that day, leading to immediate administrative action.
An official communication dated April 7 from the Office of the Regional Director of Education (RDE), Balasore, confirmed that Nayak was removed from his HoD position effective April 6 to enable an “impartial probe” into the allegations. This intervention followed direct interactions between the Regional Director and the college Principal, who verified the removal and handover of the complaint to the Internal Complaint Committee (ICC). “…the matter of allegation petition has been transmitted to
the Internal Complaint Committee of the College with an instruction for conduct of inquiry and submission of report thereof at the earliest.”
Specific details of the complaint have not been publicly disclosed, in line with confidentiality norms for such cases.
On April 10, the RDE, Bhubaneswar, directed all government, aided, unaided, and professional colleges under its jurisdiction to constitute ICCs and submit the compliance reports within seven days. “In case of non-compliance of this letter, admission restriction may be imposed on the institutions for the session 2026-27 or any suitable action as deemed proper will be initiated,” read the order.
The directive came in continuation of earlier instructions issued by the state Higher Education Department, directing educational institutions across the state to form the ICCs, following the death of a 20-year-old student of FM College, Balasore, due to self-immolation on July 14, 2025, due to alleged harassment by college faculty.
Three days ago, allegations of inappropriate and obscene remarks by a lecturer had also surfaced from Government Women’s College in Sambalpur.
Also Read: Outrage At Sambalpur Women’s College Over Lecturer’s Obscene Remarks During Classes