Bhubaneswar, July 15: The corridors of Odisha’s higher education institutions are shrouded in grief, fear, and growing unrest after the untimely death of a student whose passing has sent shockwaves across campuses. While official details remain scarce, the incident has ignited a storm of emotion among the student community, not just mourning a life lost, but raising urgent questions about campus safety, mental health support, and institutional accountability.
For many, the tragedy has pierced more than just the daily rhythm of student life. It has exposed the deep cracks in systems meant to safeguard and support the very people they serve. Students across disciplines and colleges are speaking out, demanding change in a climate where they feel increasingly unheard and unsafe.
"This isn’t just a tragedy- it’s a reflection of a broken system."
Ananya Subudhi, a student of agriculture, didn’t know the deceased personally, but says the shock has left everyone around her numb. What haunts her most is the suggestion that the signs were there, warning signs, cries for help and yet they were ignored.
“This isn’t just a tragedy, it’s a reflection of a broken system that doesn’t listen to students when it matters most,” Ananya said. “We need proper mental health support on campus, not just in name but in action.”
For Ananya, the incident feels like a preventable loss, the result of a lack of timely intervention and genuine care for student well-being. Her voice joins many others calling for immediate and systemic investment in mental health services on campuses.
"We all feel unsafe and unheard."
Chinmayee Priyadarshinee, a third-year engineering student of a private college in Bhubaneswar, says the incident has left her entire community shaken and questioning their safety.
“We all feel unsafe and unheard,” she shared. “If this was due to harassment or pressure from faculty or administration, then it's not just a personal loss, it’s a systemic failure.”
Chinmayee is among those demanding accountability. She says students have been raising concerns for years — about toxic environments, unchecked power dynamics, and lack of support- but their voices have rarely translated into action. Now, she says, the silence has cost a life.
"There’s so much silence and confusion — and that’s only increasing our fear."
For first-year student Jublee Mishra, the impact is just as real, even though she never knew the student personally. The lack of official clarity around what happened has only deepened the collective trauma.
“There’s so much silence and confusion around what happened, and that’s only increasing our fear,” said Jublee, who studies at a college in Puri. “Whether it was an accident, suicide, or something worse — we deserve the truth and immediate reforms. Transparency is the least the administration owes us now.”
Jublee’s plea reflects a broader sentiment among students who feel left in the dark, forced to process their fear and grief without answers.
As candlelight vigils are held and messages flood social media, what becomes clear is that this moment is more than mourning — it’s a reckoning. Students are not just grieving a peer; they are demanding a future where such tragedies no longer happen in silence, in darkness, or in vain.
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