Balasore: The Crime Against Women and Children Wing (CAW & CW) of the Odisha Crime Branch has taken suo motu cognizance of the alleged harassment case at Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore, which reportedly drove a second-year integrated B.Ed. student to attempt self-immolation.
A two-member team from the Crime Branch Women’s Wing, comprising an Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) and a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), visited the college on Sunday to initiate a detailed investigation into the matter.
The officials held discussions with the former principal of the institution and are scheduled to meet members of the Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) as well as the student’s family in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the State Higher Education Department has constituted a three-member committee to examine the sequence of events leading to the self-immolation attempt. The committee will probe the harassment allegations against Sahu and assess the role of the college authorities, including the principal and the ICC, in handling the student’s complaints.
“We are collecting evidence in writing. The findings will not be immediate, as this is a sensitive case. We will revisit the college. Our investigation focuses on identifying lapses and determining what went wrong on the part of the college administration. The report has not been submitted yet. After completing our inquiry, we will share our findings,” said director of the Higher Education Department Kali Prasanna Mohapatra while speaking to the media.
