Bhubaneswar, 4 August (H.S.): The Odisha Crime Branch has arrested two more individuals, including a student, in connection with the tragic self-immolation of a 20-year-old B.Ed. student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, taking the total number of arrests to four in the case that has sparked widespread outrage across the state.
The latest arrests were made late Sunday night. The accused have been identified as Jyoti Prakash Biswal, a student of FM College, and Subhra Sambit Nayak, the State Joint Secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
According to Crime Branch officials, the two have been charged with abetment to suicide for allegedly instigating the victim to set herself on fire. Biswal, who reportedly attempted to rescue the girl during the incident and suffered burn injuries, was arrested following his discharge from SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
Earlier, Sahadevkhunta Police had arrested Samira Kumar Sahoo, the Head of the Education Department at the college, and Principal Dillip Ghosh, after the victim accused the HoD of harassment and coercion for personal favours. The case was initially registered by local police, but due to mounting public and political pressure, the Odisha Police transferred the investigation to the Crime Branch.
The Crime Against Women and Children Wing (CAW&CW), a specialized unit of the Crime Branch, is leading the probe.
The victim, a second-year B.Ed. student, had allegedly set herself on fire on July 12 just outside the principal's office, accusing her HoD of persistent harassment and misconduct. Despite being rushed to AIIMS Bhubaneswar, she succumbed to her injuries late on July 14.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda
