Rahul Gandhi Calls Balasore Student’s Death ‘Organised Murder’ By BJP’s System

Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday called the death of the 20-year-old Balasore student an “organised murder by the BJP’s system,” accusing the BJP of failing to protect the victim.

Gandhi alleged that the student, who set herself on fire after facing sexual harassment, was subjected to repeated threats, torments and humiliation instead of receiving justice.

In a post on X, LoP Gandhi wrote, “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. Those who were supposed to protect her kept breaking her.”

The LoP accused the BJP government of shielding the accused and called on Prime Minister Modi to break his silence, ensuring safety and justice for the daughters of India.

“As always, the BJP’s system continued to shield the accused and forced an innocent daughter to set herself on fire. This is not suicide; it is 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,” the post reads.

Earlier in the day, the Congress workers staged a protest outside AIIMS Bhubaneswar following the death of a student from Balasore who had attempted self-immolation. Police later detained the protesting workers.

On Monday, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar confirmed the death of the 20-year-old student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Odisha’s Balasore, who had attempted self-immolation.

The Department of Burn Centre, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, said in a statement that the patient was brought to the casualty on July 12 and was referred from Balasore District Headquarters Hospital to AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

“She was admitted to the Burns Centre ICU. “The patient was treated with IV fluids, IV antibiotics, intubated and put on mechanical ventilation. She received sufficient resuscitation and other conservative measures including renal replacement therapy in the Burns ICU; however, she could not be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at 11:46 PM on July 14, ” their statement said. 

The 20-year-old student set herself on fire, after allegedly being subjected to sustained sexual harassment from the Head of Department of her college. After making a formal complaint, and seeking help from the Principal, the student said her attempts had been ignored before taking her life with self-immolation. The incident took place at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College.

(With inputs from ANI)

ALSO READ: Odisha College Student Dies After Self-Immolation Over Sexual Harassment Complaint; State Erupts In Protests