Balasore: Odisha Crime Branch DG Vinaytosh Mishra here on Sunday flagged discrepancies in the statements of witnesses of the self-immolation by a female student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College on July 12.
“We have found inconsistencies between statements of people to the internal complaints committee, police and their posts on social media. The team noticed a difference in the opinions of people before and after the incident. A thorough analysis of every statement is necessary and it will take time. These will be analysed against digital evidence to reach a firm conclusion,” the DG told a presser.
The ICC and college officials are under scanner for alleged negligence in responding the young woman’s charges against a senior faculty member, whom she accused of sexual harassment.
The DG further stated that the Crime Branch’s Crime Against Women & Children Wing (CAW&CW) led by IG, S Shyni, began the investigation on July 17. “This is a complicated case. In the initial phase, the local police arrested 2 people. Our task is to identify all those involved in the incident. The CCTV footage collected will be sent to FSCL for its opinion. Statements of ICC members and college staff are also being recorded,” he said.
Additionally, CAW&CW will explore whether anyone incited the victim to self-immolate.
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Mishra said that the agency has got numerous leads in the case but refused to elaborate further, stating that it will lead to formation of premature opinion.
He, however, asserted that the probe will be conducted in a fair manner to ensure justice for the 20-year-old, who was a second-year BEd student of the college.
The press briefing came amid reports that analysis of CCTV footage had revealed that a woman, believed to be of the same age as the victim, had purchased petrol in a bottle from a filling station near FM College, around the time of the incident.
Also Read: Woman Captured On CCTV Buying Petrol Before Self-Immolation By FM Student: Reports
On July 12, the girl had set herself on fire after pouring petrol on her body outside the principal’s chamber. She sustained 90-95% burns and succumbed while undergoing treatment at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar on July 14 night after battling for life for almost 60 hours.
Following the incident, petrol pumps across Balasore district have reportedly stopped selling fuel in containers.