Balasore horror fallout: Odisha govt seeks report on status of functioning of Internal Complaints Committees

Bhubaneswar, July 14 (IANS) Amid the outrage over the self-immolation attempt by a student of FM Autonomous College in Balasore, the Odisha Higher Education Department on Monday issued an urgent directive to all state public and private universities, as well as government, aided, and unaided degree colleges under its purview, to submit reports regarding the functioning of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) under Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013.

Higher Educational Institutions (HEls) across the state have been directed to submit the reports within 24 hours. The Department in its order issued on Monday referred to the communications earlier sent to all colleges and Universities in the state regarding the constitution of the internal committees.

“Submit compliance of the instructions on IC (Internal Committee) within 24 hours in strict adherence to Section 4 of the said Act, including appropriate representation of women members and external representatives. Also, follow UGC (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment of Women Employees and Students in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2015,” reads the order issued by the Higher Education Department.

The HEIs have also been instructed to display the name and contact number of all ICC Members in a conspicuous place in the respective institutions for the general awareness.

The department has also asked the educational institutes to upload all the details of the members in the Higher Education Information Management System (HIMS) portal.

The higher educational institutes have been directed to immediately organise workshops on Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013 for the sensitisation of students and faculty members.

“You are further requested to ensure that a geo-tagged photograph of the location where the details of the IC are displayed is uploaded to the link: (https://tinyurl.com/ICCHED25) positively,” urged the department.

It is pertinent here to mention that a female B.Ed student set herself ablaze after pouring petrol on herself in front of the principal’s chamber on Saturday over alleged sexual harassment by the Head of Department (HOD) of her discipline, Samir Kumar Sahu.

The student with over 90 per cent burn injuries was rushed to Balasore Medical College, but was later shifted to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, for advanced treatment.

Prior to the self-immolation bid, she had staged a sit-in protest near the college campus demanding action against the accused HoD Sahu for the alleged misbehaviour.

She was very upset as no action was taken against the HoD by the college authorities despite her lodging a formal complaint against the accused Sahu.

Sahu was immediately arrested by the Sahadevkhunta Police after a case was registered against him under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including 108 (abetment to suicide), 75(1)(iii) (sexual harassment), etc.

The police on Monday arrested the Principal of the FM College, Dillip Kumar Ghose, who was placed under suspension for failing to deal with the matter properly.

--IANS

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