UGC panel flags lapses by Odisha college in immolation case

AInvestigative citizens committee go under up by the University Grants direction (UGC) to look into the death of a 20-year-old student in July in Odisha’s Balasore district has found “serious lapses”, “gross negligence”, and “insensitivity” by the administration of her college in handling repeated sexual harassment complaints, HT has learnt.The 20-year-old second-year student of Fakir Mohan College in Balasore set herself on fire on July 12 and succumbed to her injuries two days later, sparking massive outrage across the country. In a complaint on July 1, the victim had alleged that the head of her department, Samir Kumar Sahoo, was asking her for “favours” and threatened to destroy her academic career if she did not oblige.But the UGC panel found that former principal Dilip Ghosh and the college’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) dismissed the second-year student’s allegations as “politically motivated” because of her affiliation with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.“The victim’s repeated complaints were ignored by the college administration and ICC, which dismissed her concerns as politically motivated because she was associated with the ABVP, even though the accused teacher had faced similar complaints earlier and was once suspended,” a member of the committee told HT.Describing the victim as a bright student active in dance, debate, and martial arts, the panel member added, “No one from the college administration tried to save her when she set herself on fire.”Both Sahoo and former principal Dilip Ghosh were arrested by Odisha Police shortly after her death, and charged under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita section 108 (abetment of suicide), section 351 (2) (criminal intimidation) and section 3(5) (common intention). On Wednesday, the Orissa high court rejected their bail pleas stating that “the inaction of the college authorities would be the sole reason for the deceased taking such an extreme step.” Another two students -- ABVP members from the college Subhra Sambit Nayak and Jyotiprakash Biswal -- were arrested by Odisha Police in August for their alleged involvement in the incident. Orissa HC on Wednesday granted them bail.On June 30 Sahoo barred the victim and eight other students from appearing for the fourth semester internal examination, citing their allegedly low attendance. On July 1, the student registered a complaint with the college’s ICC, accusing Sahoo of sexual harassment. The student attempted self-immolation on July 12 at the college campus, suffering over 90% burns, and died at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on July 14.Next day, a four-member UGC committee, led by professor Raj Kumar Mittal of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, was constituted to investigate the incident, review the college’s redressal mechanisms, and suggest measures to prevent similar cases. In July, the committee submitted its report to the UGC, which forwarded it to Odisha for its response in September, the member quoted above said.Citing the report, the member added that the UGC panel has recommended that the college “identify and support promising students”, ensure stronger protection against harassment, and conduct “annual exam assessments externally” to prevent “misuse” of authority, noting that the accused allegedly threatened to fail the victim. HT could not independently verify authenticity of the report.The panel also urged the college to “strengthen its ICC and handle such cases with greater sensitivity and accountability.”HT previously reported that the ICC erred in not asking assistant professor Sahoo, who headed the education department, to go on leave or follow proper norms in investigating as well as guiding the victim.The student’s complaint said Sahoo allegedly sought sexual favours from her six months ago and then allegedly tortured her by disallowing her from writing semester exams and making her stand outside the class for slight delays. The probe began on July 3 and the report was submitted to the principal on the evening of July 9. The ICC didn’t find evidence of sexual harassment.On July 12, Ghosh allegedly called the victim to his office, forced her to apologise to Sahoo and coerced her to withdraw the complaint. The first information report in the case said Ghosh’s behaviour compelled her to set herself afire.Under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at the Workplace Act, 2013, all universities and colleges must have an ICC. In 2016, UGC issued a set of regulations on the basis of the POSH Act to protect students, faculty and all other staff on campus, and laid out processes to be followed in cases of alleged sexual harassment on campuses.Activists have alleged that the ICC process followed by the college flouted the norms, and that the institution didn’t have a functional ICC before the woman’s complaint.Mary E John, co-chair of the task force appointed by UGC in 2013 on safety of students in campus, said most Internal Complaints Committees “exist only on paper”, and many ICC members “lack training or understanding of what needs to be done”. “The idea of internal redressal without police or courts is good in theory, but in practice, it’s failing.”