Bhubaneswar, July 14: In the wake of a shocking self-immolation attempt by a B.Ed. student, the Odisha Higher Education Department has appointed Professor Firoz Kumar Padhi as the acting principal of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, Balasore.
Padhi, who previously served as Head of the Zoology Department, replaces Principal Dilip Ghosh, who was suspended over the incident. Ghosh was arrested by the Sahadevkhunta police on Monday.
The student, 20-year-old Soumyashree Bisi, allegedly set herself on fire on the college campus on July 12 and is currently battling for her life at AIIMS Bhubaneswar with 95% burn injuries. Her family has accused Samira Kumar Sahu, Head of the Education Department, of subjecting her to persistent harassment.
Authorities are continuing investigations into the matter.
