Balasore (Odisha) [India], July 16 : BJP MLA from Balasore, Manas Kumar Dutta on Wednesday strongly condemned the politicisation of a student's death by self-immolation in Balasore and defended the Odisha government's response, saying action was taken immediately after the incident.
Speaking to ANI, Dutta said, "The Odisha government took action immediately after the incident. It is completely wrong to politicise such incidents and those announcing Balasore bandh and shedding crocodile tears should answer - when the girl student said that some students from the other organisation harassed her mentally, and when ABVP was protesting and supporting her, how come people from that organisation are protesting? This is ridiculous."
He also took a dig at Opposition parties, saying, "Congress ruled the country for 60 years and BJD ruled Odisha for 25 years. Many such cases from those years are still unresolved. No action was taken during their tenure, while it is being taken during our tenure."
The BJP legislator further raised serious concerns about the college's internal complaints committee, which the victim had approached before her death. "The victim appealed to the internal committee - which was decided by the principal - selected by the previous government; the head of the department is a junior lecturer of the department. Those who fast-tracked the promotion process of such junior lecturers should also be investigated and strict action should be taken - this is my appeal to the government." Dutta told ANI.
The 20-year-old student set herself on fire after allegedly facing prolonged sexual harassment by her Head of Department at college. Despite lodging a formal complaint and seeking help from the principal, her pleas were ignored, leading to the tragic incident. The incident occurred at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College.
On Monday, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar confirmed the death of the student in Odisha's Balasore.