Balasore: The Crime Branch of Odisha Police has filed a charge sheet in the Balasore SDJM court in connection with the sensational self-immolation of a student at Fakir Mohan Autonomous College.
The 349-page charge sheet includes statements from 120 witnesses, police said.
Sources said the charge sheet has initially been filed against two accused and two other names are likely to be added later in a supplementary sheet. The case revolves around allegations of harassment and abetment, with four persons, including two students, arrested in connection with the incident. Two students were arrested for allegedly conspiring and inciting the victim to self-immolate. The investigation is in progress, and the Crime Branch has kept the case open.
The 20-year-old second year B.Ed student allegedly poured petrol and set herself ablaze inside the college premises on July 12. She was rushed to AIIMS Bhubaneswar with over 95 per cent burns but succumbed to her injuries on July 14.
The incident had caused widespread outrage across the state and opposition parties were up in arms against the state government.
Initially, the local police was probing the case but noting the seriousness of the case, the state government handed over the investigation to the Crime Branch.
The probe agency arrested the HoD of Education department, college Principal on July 14 on charges of negligence and suspected complicity. Besides, Subhra Sambit Nayak, the State Joint Secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Jyotiprakash Biswal, who sustained injuries while rescuing the girl, were also arrested after the probe team found their role in the girl’s attempt for self-immolation.
