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The Hindu
21-07-2025
- The Hindu
Odisha college committee exonerates teacher accused of sexual harassment, says deceased girl's allegations are baseless
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, did not recommend any disciplinary action against the teacher accused of sexually harassing a student who later died after setting herself on fire. The ICC report, which came out recently, said the allegation of sexual harassment was baseless as the committee did not find any conclusive evidence to substantiate the charges. 'Students should strive to uphold reputation of institutions and improve quality of education by keeping 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 Samira 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 claimed 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 claimed that Sahoo influenced the outcome of the ICC inquiry by continuing in his role during the investigation. The report claimed 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.
News18
16-07-2025
- News18
Balasore Professor Asked Student For 'Favour', Told Her She Was 'No Child To Not Understand'
Last Updated: The accused professor in the Balasore student death case had reportedly told her that she was not a child to not understand what "favours" he needed, a report has claimed. As shocking details in the Balasore student death case continue to come to the fore, it has now been reported that Samira Kumar Sahoo, accused of sexually harassing the student, had told the woman that she was not a child to not understand what he needed. The student, in her complaint to the college's Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) on July 1, had mentioned that the professor had asked for a 'favour" from her, refusal of which invited mental harassment. According to a report with India Today, Minati Sethi, a member of the ICC, has revealed what the student told her when Sethi quizzed her about the professor's 'favour" statement. 'When she (the student) asked him what kind of favour, Sahoo allegedly said, 'You are not a child to not understand what favour I need'," Sethi said. 'However, we could not prove the allegation. It is very difficult to gather evidence on such charges," the report claimed Sethi said. According to the report, Sethi also said that the student was hurt as the professor had not allowed her to write a semester examination on June 30, and that 'she had taken it seriously". On July 1, the student had written a complaint letter to the ICC, alleging that the professor had asked her for a 'favour", refusal of which invited mental harassment. However, the father of the 20-year-old Odisha college student, who set herself ablaze over inaction on her sexual harassment complaint, held members of her college's ICC 'solely responsible" for his daughter's death. He also accused the members of preparing a 'biased report" in connection with her daughter's allegation, which led her to set herself on fire on the campus on July 12. Jayshree Mishra, the ICC coordinator of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, said the panel recommended the removal of Samira Kumar Sahoo from the post of Head of Integrated BEd. However, the reason for seeking his removal was his 'strict approach" and not sexually harassing students, Mishra said, adding that the authorities did not take any steps on the recommendation. The deceased's father blamed the ICC, which, in its report, gave a clean chit to the accused head of the department. 'My daughter would have been alive today had the ICC done a proper probe into her allegation," the father said. The second-year Integrated student in Balasore set herself ablaze shortly after coming out of the principal's chamber, it was known. The student, who suffered 95 per cent burns, was first admitted to the Balasore District Headquarters Hospital and then shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for advanced treatment. She was declared dead hours after President Droupadi Murmu visited her at the burn unit ICU. The funeral of the woman was conducted before noon on Tuesday in the presence of thousands of people. The accused professor and the principal of the college were arrested in connection with the case. Meanwhile, the University Grants Commission has set up a four-member fact-finding team to look into the incident. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
