BHUBANESWAR: The three-member committee formed by the Higher Education department to probe the FM College student self-immolation case, will conduct its second round of investigation from Friday and question all members of the internal complaints committee (ICC).
The committee, led by director of Higher Education Kali Prasanna Mohapatra, will interrogate eight members of the ICC that was formed on July 1, besides students and college employees who were witness to the incident on July 12, for two days.
The Regional Directorate of Education has asked the ICC members and three students to appear before the committee. The students were witness to the incident and one among them had previously complained about the accused assistant professor Samira Kumar Sahoo’s rude behaviour towards him and other students of his batch to the principal.
Mohapatra said the questioning will continue for two days, and apart from the persons who have been asked for personal appearance before the committee, all others who were either present at the spot on July 12 or have any evidence or views on the incident will be questioned.
The committee had on July 13 questioned principal of the college Dilip Ghosh and chairperson of the ICC Jayashree Mishra, HoD of psychology department in the college, for six hours. Subsequently, Ghosh was charged with abetment to suicide, and arrested.
The victim had registered an official complaint with the ICC after being debarred from appearing for the 4th semester internal examination by Sahoo on June 30. Sources said the victim and eight other students of her batch were prevented from giving the examination on the ground of low attendance.
Following a meeting with the principal and Sahoo, she had allegedly self-immolated, and a student of anthropology department Jyoti Prakash Biswal was also injured while trying to save her.