Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Tuesday condemned the suicide of a student in Odisha, terming it “organised murder by the system”. The student had set herself afire after allegedly facing harassment and intimidation for speaking out against sexual exploitation by a professor.
A 20-year-old student in Balasore, Odisha, who had set herself on fire on a college campus after her repeated complaints of harassment by a teacher were ignored, succumbed to her burn injuries on Monday evening.
She had claimed that the professor had threatened and physically assaulted her, and that the college administration failed to take her complaints seriously.
“A daughter fighting for justice in Odisha, her death is a direct murder by the BJP’s system. The brave student raised her voice against sexual exploitation, but instead of justice, she was threatened, harassed, and repeatedly humiliated. Those who were supposed to protect her broke her spirit. Like always, the BJP’s system protected the accused and forced an innocent daughter to take her own life,” said in a statement.
The Odisha government has arrested the college principal and the accused professor.
