New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that the death of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College student, who set herself on fire on the college campus after her repeated complaints of harassment by a teacher were ignored, was nothing less than an “organised murder by the system”.
The 20-year-old, Soumyashree Bisi, who sustained 90-95% burns, succumbed last night while undergoing treatment at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar. The second-year B.Ed student had accused the Head of Education Department, Sameer Rajan Sahu, of sexually harassing her.
In a post on X, Rahul said that those who were supposed to protect her kept “breaking her”. He claimed that it was not an act of suicide but an organised murder by the system.
“The death of a daughter fighting for justice in Odisha is nothing less than a murder by the BJP’s system. That brave student raised her voice against sexual harassment – but instead of delivering justice, she was threatened, tormented, and repeatedly humiliated. As always, the BJP’s system continued to shield the accused – and forced an innocent daughter to set herself on fire,” he alleged in a post on X.
“Modi ji, whether in Odisha or Manipur – the daughters of the nation are burning, breaking, and dying. And you? You remain silent. The country doesn’t need your silence; it needs answers. India’s daughters need safety and justice,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Congress has called for ‘Odisha Bandh’ on July 17 over the incident. “She had been struggling for justice for six months. She informed the SP and the Collector, tagged them, and an FIR was also registered. Fifteen days ago, she gave a statement through a video recording, but still did not receive justice. She knocked on every door, but got no assurance. This is a heinous crime,” said. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das.
He said that the bandh is being supported by eight parties, including Left parties and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). “I appeal to all to support the total showdown. The government needs to be shaken up from its slumber,” he added.
Congress workers had staged a demonstration at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar this morning, questioning the late night postmortem of the victim. They were later detained by police.
