BHUBANESWAR: A few hours before she allegedly died by suicide, the 19-year-old Buxi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar Autonomous College student had spoken with her mother over the telephone on Saturday. The mother of the victim, a Plus III first-year History Honours student, reportedly spoke with her at 8 am.
On Friday night, the girl told one of her friends that she wanted to tell her something. However, the victim then told her friend that she will discuss it the next morning. In a suicide note purportedly written by her, she mentioned that she was being harassed by her three seniors. However, she did not mention any name in the note.
Badagada police officers on Sunday questioned about 70 students of Karubaki Ladies Hostel in an attempt to find out about the students who allegedly harassed her. “Investigation is continuing and action will be taken accordingly,” said Bhubaneswar DCP, Prateek Singh. State Commission for Women Chairperson Dr. Minati Behera visited BJB College on the day and asked police to complete their investigation at the earliest as some students have their examinations in the coming week.
Meanwhile, Higher Education Minister Rohit Pujari on Sunday expressed his condolences to the victim’s family members and said the government will take appropriate action after receiving the probe report. In April this year, a first-year medical student allegedly died after falling off the roof of his hostel at Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital in Balangir. The victim’s parents had alleged that their son was a victim of ragging by his seniors.