Odisha College Student's Death: NSUI protests outside state bhawan in Delhi

NEW DELHI: The National Students' Union of India (NSUI) held a protest at Odisha Bhawan on Tuesday, demanding justice for the student who self-immolated over alleged inaction in a sexual harassment case. The 20-year-old second-year BEd student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore, Odisha, had accused the Head of the Education Department of sexually harassing her.

She set herself on fire on the college campus on Saturday in protest against the alleged inaction and suffered 95 per cent burns. She died at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Monday night after battling for her life for nearly 60 hours. Protesters marched towards the state bhawan carrying placards and posters in support of the victim.

Protest amid police deployment

One of the posters read, "No Safety, No Support, No Justice — Why?" The protest took place amid heavy police deployment, with multiple police vans stationed at the site. Bystanders were asked to vacate the area as a precautionary measure. The protesters were detained by Delhi Police upon reaching the state bhawan.

The protest was led by NSUI Delhi president Ashish Lamba, according to an official NSUI statement. "This is not suicide — this is murder by the BJP-ABVP nexus. NSUI will not rest until justice is served," Lamba said. NSUI vowed to continue its fight against the system that failed Soumyashree and countless women across India, the statement added.