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Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
She spoke, no one listened: Odisha village bids tearful final farewell to student in Balasore harassment case
A pall of grief descended upon an Odisha village as the body of a 20-year-old college student, who tragically died after accusing her professor of sexual harassment and attempting self-immolation, was returned home. Her cremation ignited public outrage over the lack of timely action on her complaint. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads A village in Odisha's Balasore district stood still in mourning on Tuesday as the body of a 20-year-old college student—who had accused her professor of sexual harassment and later attempted suicide by setting herself ablaze—returned home for the last dead at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Monday night after battling severe burn injuries for nearly three days, the second-year student's cremation drew waves of emotion, questions, and in white and carried in a coffin, the young woman was brought back to the same streets where she once taught self-defence, performed on stage, and helped organise community outreach activities.'"She had gone to college after Bahuda Yatra and said she would return soon. She promised. But she came back... like this," her mother sobbed, while talking to father, employed at a local government-run women's college, stood quietly beside her. "My daughter was strong. If the investigation had been done properly from the beginning, maybe this wouldn't have happened," he told the news the funeral procession wound through the village, locals watched in disbelief, some crying silently, others shouting slogans praising her bravery. 'She spoke up when many would have stayed silent,' one mourner told TOI. 'She deserved support, not silence.'Political leaders, including Balasore MP Pratap Sarangi and several local MLAs, joined the procession along with district officials. The heavy police presence underscored both the sensitivity of the case and the public scrutiny it has stung most for those who knew her was the feeling that her courage had gone unheard. Despite her complaints, no meaningful action was taken in time."Why did no one help her? Why was her voice ignored?" a neighbour, Sunil Kar also told TOI. "She dared to speak. But her courage was met with silence."Her brother, holding back tears, added, "No matter how much politics is played now or how loudly people demand justice, what difference will it make?"As the funeral pyre was lit, the crowd fell silent.
Time of India
7 days ago
- 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.
