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Time of India
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Balasore sexual harassment case: She taught others to fight, but when she cried for help, no one turned up
File photo BALASORE: She taught others to fight. She raised her voice. But when she cried for help, no one listened. The 20-year-old college student who set herself on fire after accusing her professor of sexual harassment was cremated Tuesday amid tears, anger and disbelief in her village in Odisha's Balasore district. Doctors at AIIMS Bhubaneswar declared her dead on Monday night, nearly 60 hours after the second-year student was admitted with critical burns. Her body arrived early Tuesday. Villagers gathered silently, some in shock, many in grief. Her mother wept beside the coffin: "She had gone to college after Bahuda Yatra and said she would return soon. She promised. But she came back... like this." The father, a clerk at a government-run women's college, stood frozen. "My daughter was strong. If the investigation had been done properly from the beginning, maybe this wouldn't have happened," he said. Wrapped in white, the woman who once taught self-defence, wrote poetry, excelled in stage acting and social work, and was taking disaster management classes, now lay still. Her elder brother, 24, choked through his sorrow. "No matter how much politics is played now or how loudly people demand justice, what difference will it make?" The funeral procession passed through narrow lanes where she once played, studied and spoke up. "Long live the brave daughter," mourners shouted as her body was taken to the cremation ground under heavy police deployment. Balasore MP Pratap Sarangi, Bhograi MLA Gautambuddha Das, Balasore Sadar MLA Manas Dutta, and Remuna MLA Gobinda Chandra Das attended the funeral. District officials also paid respects. At the cremation site, the grief broke into questions. "Why did no one help her? Why was her voice ignored?" asked neighbour Sunil Kar. "She dared to speak. But her courage was met with silence." Now, only silence remains.
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Time of India
A village turns up to bid farewell to its brave daughter
Balasore: With moist eyes and heavy hearts, a village bade farewell to the 20-year-old girl who died late on Monday at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. Tears flowed as mourners gathered on Tuesday at the cremation ground where her last rites were performed. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The cremation ground became a stage of sorrow, anger and frustration broken only by the cries of grieving family members. "She had gone to college after Bahuda Yatra and said she would return soon. She promised she would come back. But she never did. She came back… like this," her mother recalled, standing beside the lifeless body of the daughter, tears rolling down. The deceased, who was a second-year integrated BEd student, had been battling for her life for nearly 60 hours at AIIMS Bhubaneswar after allegedly attempting self-immolation on her college campus. The incident followed allegations of sexual harassment by the head of the department of education. On Monday night, her fight came to an end, as doctors declared her dead at 11:46 pm. Her 24-year-old elder brother, who works in a private company, spoke through his grief. "No matter how much politics is played now or how loudly people demand justice, what difference will it make? I will never get my sister back," he said. Her mortal remains arrived at the village early Tuesday morning. As the body was brought home for the last time, villagers gathered in large numbers, forced to confront the death of one of their daughters who was bright and an outspoken young woman. Wrapped in white, the young girl, who once taught others about courage and self-defence, who raised her voice against injustice, lay still. "Why did no one help her? Why was her voice ignored?" asked Sunil Kar, a grieving neighbour, echoing the question on everyone's mind. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a world where silence is often the norm, the girl dared to speak — but her courage was met with apathy. Her cries for help, her formal complaint, and her appeals to authorities — all seemingly fell on deaf ears. Balasore MP Pratap Sarangi, Bhograi MLA Gautambuddha Das, Balasore Sadar MLA Manas Dutta, Remuna MLA Gobinda Chandra Das along with the district administration officials were present at the funeral, which was held under tight police security. Her body was taken in a funeral procession through the village — the same streets where she once laughed, played and dreamt of a better tomorrow. Slogans of 'long live the brave daughter' echoed through the air as the procession made its way to the cremation ground. Her father, a clerk in a govt-run women's college, stood in disbelief. "Why would my daughter take such an extreme step?" he asked, his voice trembling. "If the investigation had been done properly from the beginning, maybe this wouldn't have happened," he wondered.
New Indian Express
27-06-2025
- New Indian Express
One dies after boundary wall of TPNODL store collapses
BALASORE: A 43-year-old man was killed after the boundary wall of a TPNODL store reportedly collapsed on him in Sahadevkhunta area of the district on Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Sadananda Tudu of Gudipada in Balasore town. The mishap took place when Tudu, a daily wager, was passing in front of the power distribution company's store at Sahadevkhunta. Following the incident, tension flared up in the area as Tudu's family members and locals staged protest by placing his body on Gudipada-Balasore road in front of the office of the TPNODL superintending engineer demanding a compensation of Rs 25 lakh. As the protest intensified, police teams from Sahadevkhunta and Balasore Town reached the spot to bring the situation under control. Balasore Sadar MLA Manas Dutta, Remuna MLA Gobinda Chandra Das and municipality chairperson Sabita Sahoo also rushed to the protest site to take stock of the situation. During discussion with the agitators, TPNODL officials assured a compensation of Rs 7 lakh to the deceased's family along with a job for his wife on basis of her qualification. The discom also provided Rs 30,000 for conduct of the last rites of Tudu. Subsequently, the agitating locals withdrew the road blockade.
