Odisha ‘sexual harassment' case: internal complaints committee report had not recommended any punitive action

The Hindu

21-07-2025

The Internal Complaints Committee, constituted under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH), at F.M. Autonomous College in Balasore, Odisha, had not recommended any disciplinary action against the teacher accused of sexually harassing a student who later died after setting herself on fire.
The ICC report, which recently came out in the open, said the panel did not find any conclusive evidence to substantiate the charges of sexual harassment.
'Students should strive to uphold the reputation of institutions and improve the quality of education by keeping a cordial relationship with teachers and they should not indulge in character assassination without any proof,' the report said.
It said, 'Teachers should also closely study psychology of students and become compassionate in order to improve their academic growth.'
The ICC, constituted under the leadership of Jayashree Mishra following allegations of sexual harassment against Samir Kumar Sahoo — Head of the Bachelor of Education department at the college, did not recommend any punitive action in its report. The student had allegedly taken the extreme step of setting herself ablaze after her repeated complaints against the teacher went unaddressed.
Report contradictory
The ICC report contradicted the statement of several ICC members who, after the student's death, said that they had recommended the removal of the accused teacher from his current position. However, the final ICC report made no mention of any transfer or removal of the teacher from the post of department head.
The girl student's family members and friends and members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) — of which she was a member — alleged that even a temporary transfer or asking the accused teacher to go on leave, after her complaints, could have eased tensions and possibly prevented the tragedy. They further said that Sahoo influenced the outcome of the ICC inquiry by continuing in his role during the investigation.
The report said that the ICC conducted a five-day-long investigation and recorded the statements of the student, her father, 60 other students and college teachers.
Binaytosh Mishra, Director General of Police (Crime Branch), said there were discrepancies in the statements given by individuals connected to the case before and after the girl's death. He added that the Crime Branch, which is investigating into the incident, has gathered several key pieces of evidence and that the progress of the probe has been satisfactory.