ABVP member, student who tried to douse fire arrested in Odisha college student’s self-immolation after case
Odisha ABVP student suicide case: On July 12, the 20-year-old student, who was also an active member of the ABVP, set herself on fire in the college campus because her complaints about sexual harassment by a professor were allegedly ignored.
The Crime Branch of the state police apprehended the two late on Sunday in connection with the death of the woman last month, a senior officer said. (Photo: ANI) 
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The Crime Branch (CB) of Odisha Police arrested two students late on Sunday night on abetment of suicide charges in connection with last month’s death of a Balasore college student, who set herself on fire after her complaints of sexual harassment by a professor were allegedly ignored by authorities.
The arrested students, Subhra Sambit Nayak and Jyotiprakash Biswal, were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days. Nayak is a state office-bearer of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Biswal had sustained injuries while attempting to rescue the student who set herself on fire.
“We have clear evidence that these two students instigated the victim to take the extreme step. The investigation is on and we are looking for more scientific evidence during the course of the probe,” said a senior Crime Branch official.
On July 12, the 20-year-old student, who was also an active member of the ABVP, set herself on fire in the college campus because her complaints about sexual harassment by a professor were allegedly ignored. She succumbed to burn injuries two days later.
Subsequently, assistant professor Samir Kumar Sahu and college principal Dillip Kumar Ghose were arrested by the local police in connection with the case and are under judicial custody.
With the incident triggering nationwide outrage, the probe was handed over to the Crime Against Women and Children Wing of the Crime Branch on July 16 to widen the investigation. The agency looked into whether anyone “instigated” her to set herself on fire after she came out of the principal’s office that day, who supplied her with the petrol and other materials, and whether she was being bullied on social media.
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Over 50 people, including students, the victims’ friends, members of an internal committee, and others, were questioned during the probe. “We are still looking at various angles,” said an official.
The BJP government in Odisha also faced flak from different quarters over the incident, with the Opposition Biju Janata Dal and Congress observing a state-wide bandh over the government’s alleged failure to ensure safety of women in the state.
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