Bhubaneswar: In the wake of the self-immolation attempt by a female student of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore, the Odisha government has stepped up measures to further enhance women’s safety in educational institutions in the state.
In a communication to all universities and colleges, the government directed the higher educational institutions to submit a compliance report on the formation of Internal Committees (IC) within 24 hours.
All colleges and universities have been instructed to constitute the ICs in accordance with Section 4 of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. Institutions must ensure proper representation of women members and inclusion of external representatives in the committee, the department stated in an official letter.
This apart, the institutions are required to adhere to the UGC (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment of Women Employees and Students in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2015.
The names and contact details of all IC members must be prominently displayed on campus for public awareness and uploaded to the HIMS portal. A geo-tagged photograph of the location where this information is displayed must be submitted through the provided link: https://tinyurl.com/ICCHED25.
In order to raise awareness, colleges and universities have also been directed to organise sensitisation workshops on the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013 for students and faculty members.
Earlier, the Regional Directorate of Education had issued a separate advisory instructing all colleges in the state to implement strict preventive measures to avoid the recurrence of sensitive incidents on campus. The advisory reiterated the urgent need for the formation of Internal Complaints Committees, as mandated by the UGC.
Institutions have also been asked to ensure 24×7 campus surveillance through in-house squad teams and CCTV systems. Education authorities were directed to take proactive steps to avert any untoward incidents and to ensure their internal systems are fully operational and responsive in emergencies.
College principals must report any negligence or lapses in implementation immediately to the Directorate.
Meanwhile, the condition of the female student from FM College who attempted self-immolation by setting herself ablaze on Saturday, remains critical. She is currently being treated at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar with over 90 per cent burns.
Meanwhile, a key meeting was held by Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja with the Principal Secretaries of the Women and Child Development, Higher Education, and Health and Family Welfare departments.
The meeting reportedly discussed critical areas like strengthening the investigation and systemic reforms to ensure that the ongoing probe addresses not just this specific incident but also systemic failures in the college’s grievance redressal mechanism. The committee probing the incident should complete its inquiry swiftly and submit a detailed report within a stipulated timeframe.
Immediate measures should be announced to strengthen women’s safety across colleges and universities in Odisha, including activating fully functional women’s grievance cells. Launch mandatory sensitization programs for faculty and students on sexual harassment prevention, in partnership with the State Commission for Women and other relevant bodies. Establish a state-wide helpline or task force dedicated to swiftly addressing complaints of harassment in educational institutions.
There should be comprehensive outreach and support measures to engage with student organisations, women’s groups, and civil society through public dialogues to listen to concerns and communicate the government’s action plan.
