Odisha: UGC panel begins probe into FM College self immolation case

Balasore, July 18: The four-member fact-finding team of the University Grants Commission on Friday arrived at the Fakir Mohan Autonomous College here to examine the circumstances that led to the tragic self-immolation of a girl student on the college campus on July1 2.

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The committee headed by Raj Kumar Mittal, a professor at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University will stay in Balasore for two days (Friday and Saturday) to probe the incident, sources said. The other members are former UGC member Sushma Yadav, Gujarat University Vice Chancellor Neerja Gupta and UGC Joint Secretary Ashima Mangla.

After arriving at the college, the team first held discussion with college Principal Prof Firoz Padhi. The team will meet all stakeholders, including the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) members, students and members of staff. 

As per the terms of reference of the probe, the committee will check the status of compliance by the FM College to the provisions of UGC (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment of Women Employees and Students in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2015 and other guidelines issued by UGC from time to time.

Besides, the panel will specifically examine the institution's compliance to the provision of Regulation 3 of the UGC regulations that stipulates the responsibilities of the higher education institutions in preventing and addressing sexual harassment on campuses.

During the visit, the committee members will do an on-site assessment to verify the actual implementation of measures adopted by the college for ensuring safety of female students and well-being policies, beyond the documented compliance. 

The committee has been asked to submit a detailed report on findings and recommendations for the prevention of such incidents in future within a week.

For the context, Soumyashree, a second year student of Integrated Bed, attempted suicide on campus on July 12 alleging that her repeated complaints about sexual harassment by a college teacher went unheard. The accused teacher, Samira Kumar Sahu, was arrested after the incident. The student was first admitted to Balasore district hospital and later shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar but succumbed to her injuries on July 14, 2025.

Following the self-immolation, allegedly due to harassment by a faculty member, the UGC, as a regulatory body, has decided to form the committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident, including availability/effectiveness of factors such as institutional policies, grievance redressal mechanisms, anti-harassment measures adopted and student support systems.