Nothing less than a murder by BJP's system: Rahul Gandhi on Odisha girl student's death

Bhubaneswar, July 15: Senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the BJP of forcing an innocent daughter to set herself on fire and said that it was nothing less than an organized murder by the system, following the death of a college student who self-immolated after alleged sexual harassment and weeks of seeking help from authorities.

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"The death of a daughter fighting for justice in Odisha is nothing less than a murder by the BJP's system. That brave student raised her voice against sexual harassment - but instead of delivering justice, she was threatened, tormented, and repeatedly humiliated," he alleged in a post on X.

"Those who were supposed to protect her kept breaking her. As always, the BJP's system continued to shield the accused and forced an innocent daughter to set herself on fire," Gandhi alleged.

The Congress leader claimed the girl's death was not suicide, it was an organised murder by the system.

"Modi ji, whether in Odisha or Manipur - the daughters of the nation are burning, breaking, and dying. And you…? You remain silent. The country doesn't need your silence; it needs answers. India's daughters need safety and justice," he added.

For the context, the 20-year-old B.Ed. student from Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore died on Monday night at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, three days after she set herself ablaze on campus. She had suffered 95 per cent burns. The student had earlier accused her department head Samira Kumar Sahoo of repeated sexual harassment and filed complaints with college authorities. However, no action was reportedly taken against the accused.

Meanwhile, the body of the victim was cremated in the presence of her family and other villagers at her native place.

Thousands of people thronged the crematorium ground to attend her cremation. 

The woman was first admitted to the Balasore district hospital and then shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for advanced treatment.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday announced ex gratia of Rs 20 lakh for the family of the student.

Majhi directed officers concerned to conduct a proper investigation into the incident so that all guilty are punished in accordance with the law.