Balasore/Cuttack, July 17:
In response to the shocking and untimely death of Ms. Soumyashree Bishi, a student of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College, Balasore, the Citizen’s Human Rights Clinic (CHRC), Odisha, has launched a strong human rights intervention, alleging serious administrative negligence and moral failure on the part of the college authorities.
On July 15, a high-level delegation of CHRC Balasore Branch, led by Legal Advisor and Unit Head Advocate Pratap Keshari Das, along with Prof. Prafulla Kumar Sethi and Youth Wing Secretary Biswakeshan Behera, met with the Collector and District Magistrate, and the Superintendent of Police, Balasore, to express grave concern over the incident.
The CHRC memorandum, handed over during the meeting, held the Head of the Education Department and College Principal Dillip Ghose primarily accountable, accusing them of “culpable negligence” and “utterly irresponsible conduct” in the handling of campus affairs leading up to the tragic incident. Soumyashree Bishi had reportedly set herself ablaze within the college premises, and succumbed to her injuries. The incident has shaken the conscience of the academic and civil society alike.
Prominent CHRC members who joined the representation included Sadhu Charan Mallick, Shambhunath Mallick, Sk. Muktaruddin, Khagen Bharati, Pares Chandra Das, poet Sukumar Das, Nalini Das, Shrihari Singh, Ranjit Singh, Bhaskar Mallick, Prof. Srikant Mallick, Biranchi Narayan Rout and Pradip Mishra of Bhograi. The delegation urged the SP to assign the investigation to a capable Inspector or senior DSP, and to arrest all students and staff found involved in instigating or abetting the suicide.
They also appealed to the police to intensify preventive measures in educational institutions across the district to curb the increasing trend of crimes against women, including mental harassment, bullying, and exploitation.
Follow-up at SCB Medical College:
On the following day, July 16, another CHRC delegation led by Gopabandhu Mallick, IPS (Retd), Chairman of CHRC Odisha, visited SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, to enquire about the health status of another brave student of the same college, who sustained burn injuries while trying to rescue Soumyashree from the flames.
Accompanied by Dr. Sarat Chandra Behera, senior journalist and Life Member of CHRC, celebrated writer and novelist Rashmi Roul, and Banashree Mohapatra, Secretary of the Women’s Wing of CHRC and President of PURBASHA, the team met with the Professor and Head of the Burn Unit. The attending doctor informed the delegation that the injured student is responding positively to treatment and is currently out of danger.
The team urged the hospital authorities to ensure that all possible medical care and psychological counselling are provided for the complete recovery of the student.
CHRC’s Larger Appeal:
The CHRC reiterated its commitment to support the district administration and police in ensuring justice for Soumyashree and safety for all students, especially girls, across the state’s educational institutions. “This tragedy must not be forgotten,” said Chairman Gopabandhu Mallick. “It must be a turning point for accountability in college campuses.”
Dr. Sarat Chandra Behera emphasized the need for systemic reform and the strengthening of student grievance redressal mechanisms. “No student should feel so helpless and unheard that they are pushed to such an extreme step,” he said.
The CHRC plans to submit a detailed report with further recommendations to the Odisha Human Rights Commission and the Department of Higher Education, Government of Odisha.
