Female student harassment cases on the rise in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Sep 19 (IANS) Amid the growing hue and cry over the rising cases of violence against women and student, the Odisha Higher Education minister Suryabanshi Suraj on Friday revealed that as many as 19 complaints of sexual harassment have been filed by the female students at colleges and universities under the department in the past year.

The Higher Education minister shared that information while replying to a query by BJD MLA Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo in the assembly on Friday.

These complaints regarding sexual harassment also include one filed by the deceased BEd student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) college, Balasore against her faculty and HoD Samir Kumar Sahu.

Notably, the female student, who committed self-immolation on the college campus on July 12, succumbed while undergoing treatment at the AIIMS, Bhubaneswar on July 14.

Besides, 18 other complaints of sexual harassment have been filed at various other government-owned higher educational institutions of the state in the past one year.

Two sexual harassment complaints have been filed each at BJB (Autonomous) College, Utkal University, and RD Women’s University in Bhubaneswar, Government (Autonomous) College in Rourkela, and Choudwar College in Cuttack.

Similarly, several other colleges of the state received sexual harassment complaints during the past one year.

In his reply to another question on harassment complaints filed by female students, the minister stated that according to the information received from 17 universities under the Odisha Higher Education department, the women students have lodged 20 complaints with the authorities regarding sexual and mental harassment, verbal and physical abuse, lack of safety at the hostel, etc., since June 12, 2024.

As per the information shared by the higher education minister, two major universities of the state-Ravenshaw University in Cuttack and Utkal University in Bhubaneswar -- have received a maximum number of complaints from the female students regarding various harassments since June 2024.

On other hand, the School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gand on Friday revealed in the assembly that a total of 32 cases of girl student harassment has been registered across nine districts of Odisha.

The Minister further revealed in a written reply that Kandhamal district had the highest number of cases at 11, followed by four cases in Sundargarh.

--IANS

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