Odisha sexual harassment case: The father of a 20 -year -old college student who attempted self -immolation due to alleged justice in a sexual harassment case claimed on Sunday that the college administration had pressurized his daughter to withdraw the complaint.
Accusing Dilip Ghosh, Principal of Government Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, the victim’s father told the media in Bhubaneswar, “My daughter’s friends told me that she set himself on fire a few minutes after meeting the principal. She went to the principal’s room to know the findings of the Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) investigating her allegations. ”
Principal said- allegations baseless
The victim’s father said, the principal told my daughter that the ICC has not found any evidence in support of her sexual harassment allegations against education department head Sameer Kumar Sahu. He claimed that this news would have increased his mental trouble further due to which he set himself on fire.
Pressure to withdraw complaint
The victim had told the victim that the college administration can take action against her on making false allegations. The victim’s father also alleged that Sahu had threatened that if he did not fulfill his demand, he would spoil his educational record.
Allegations were told baseless
He said that Sahu gathered some students and described the allegations of the victim as baseless. The father says that his daughter was under very mental stress and he did not get any emotional support from the principal.
Relief was not found even after meeting the principal
The victim’s father said that he had met the principal and told the seriousness of the case. The principal had assured that there is nothing to worry and all problems will be solved.
The father raised the question that how did the principal fail to stop a 20 -year -old student from suicide? On June 30, the student lodged a complaint against the teacher and started protests in the college campus on 2 July. He also tagged several senior officials on ‘X’, appealing for justice. Principal Ghosh has been suspended by the Department of Higher Education. Ghosh claimed that he was in danger of life and demanded security from Balasore district administration.
The Vice Chancellor admitted- the incident could have been postponed if action was taken immediately
University Vice Chancellor Professor Santosh Tripathi said that if the college administration had taken time on time, the accident could have been stopped. He admitted that the student waited for 11 days and then took this drastic step.
The victim was mentally strong- father’s emotional statement
The father denied, saying that his daughter was emotionally weak. She told that she used to train self -defense, write poems and recently elected the best actress of the college. In this case, a three -member inquiry committee of the Higher Education Department, which is being chaired by Kali Prasanna Mahapatra, has questioned the principal and members of the ICC.