BHUBANESWAR: With the girl student of FM (Autonomous) College at Balasore, who attempted self-immolation over alleged harassment by the head of the department, continuing to battle for life at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, President Droupadi Murmu on Monday visited the burn unit of the hospital and enquired about her health.
Ahead of the President’s visit, Sahadevkhunta police arrested the principal of the college Dillip Ghosh, who had been suspended by the government immediately after the incident on July 12. He has been charged with abetment of suicide. The prime accused and head of the department of teacher education Samira Kumar Sahoo had also been arrested on the day of the suicide bid by the girl.
The President is on a two-day visit to the state to attend a series of events including the 5th convocation of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar. Immediately after addressing the convocation ceremony and handing over the degrees to passing students, Murmu went to meet the patient. She saw the patient from outside the critical care unit and talked to the treating doctors about her condition. She also spoke to the family members of the girl, who were present there.
Director of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar Dr Asutosh Biswas said, “We gave an update about the condition of the patient to the President and the line of treatment being provided to her in consultation with experts from AIIMS-Delhi. The patient is still on ventilator support. Nothing concrete can be said on her prognosis till passage of 72 hours. All we can say now is she is critical but stable. Best possible care is being provided to her and the team of experts is constantly monitoring her.”
Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, state Health minister Mukesh Mahaling and MP Aparajita Sarangi accompanied the President.
Earlier in the day, Pradhan visited the girl and enquired about her condition from the doctors. He also met her family. “Our priority is to save her life. The state government has made it very clear from the beginning that no one will be spared. Some action has been taken, and in the coming days, the action will definitely be more stringent. The state government has formed a committee to address the administrative and legal aspects of this matter. The police are doing their job,” Pradhan told mediapersons.
Meanwhile, the Governor also sought details of the circumstances that led to the incident and the steps being taken to address the situation from Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj. The minister assured that the matter is being taken seriously and that necessary measures have been initiated to provide support and ensure accountability, he said.
“The safety, mental well-being and dignity of students must be protected at all times. I have urged the authorities to act with urgency, empathy and responsibility to prevent such incidents in the future,” he said.
20-year-old loses battle
Hours after the President’s visit, the 20-year-old girl battling for life in AIIMS passed away late on Monday night. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi condoled the student’s death and assured her family that all those guilty in the case will face the strictest punishment as per the law. The government stands firmly with the family, he added.