Odisha self-immolation case: Crime branch says student’s complaint not validated by enquiry team

The Crime Department of the Odisha Police, which is investigating the self-immolation dying of a school scholar in Balasore, stated that the 20-year-old girl had set herself on hearth as her grievance of sexual harassment was “not validated” by an inside enquiry committee of the institute.

Crime Department DG Vinaytosh Mishra stated its sleuths discovered discrepancies within the statements of witnesses within the case.

“The faculty authorities had taken motion on her grievance, and an inside inquiry was performed. However the inquiry workforce didn’t validate her grievance. Her excessive step was a response to the non-validation of her plaint,” the Director Common of the crime department informed reporters on Sunday (July 20, 2025).

The department’s Crime In opposition to Girls & Youngsters Wing (CAW&CW) has been probing into the self-immolation dying of the coed after being denied justice over alleged sexual harassment by Samira Kumar Sahoo, the pinnacle of the division of Built-in BEd of the Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) Faculty.

The coed immolated herself on July 12 and died on the evening of July 14, triggering nationwide outrage.

The crime department, which took over the investigation from the Balasore district police, began an inquiry into the matter on July 17.

“We’ve got discovered inconsistencies between statements of witnesses to the interior complaints committee and police, and their posts on social media. They’ve given completely different views and opinions earlier than and after the incident. A radical evaluation of each assertion is important, and it’ll take time. A correct evaluation is required towards digital proof to achieve a conclusion,” the DG stated.

Stating that each one will get justice as per the legislation, Mr. Mishra stated the crime department will be sure that no harmless individual is held chargeable for the dying of the school scholar.

He stated the federal government has taken the matter significantly, and CAW&CW inspector normal S Shyni has visited Balasore twice to supervise the investigation.

He stated this was an advanced case and the native police had arrested two individuals, Sahoo after which principal of the Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) Faculty Dillip Ghose.

The crime department is remitted to determine all these instantly or not directly concerned within the incident, the DG stated.

He stated the CCTV footage and different digital proof collected by the crime department have been being despatched to the State Forensic Science Laboratory for its opinion.

Statements of inside complaints committee members and faculty employees have been additionally being recorded, he stated, including that the probe was underway to search out out whether or not anybody provoked her to go for self-immolation.

“The crime department has acquired quite a lot of leads within the case. We guarantee all that the probe has been performed in a good method to make sure justice for the 20-year-old girl,” Mr. Mishra stated.

Replying to a query, the crime department DG made it clear that the sufferer had not submitted a written grievance with the police, although the then principal of the school had invited some police officers to a gathering on her allegation.

Along with the crime department, a four-member fact-finding workforce from UGC and a high-level workforce of Odisha’s increased schooling division have been additionally conducting investigations individually, an official stated.

The UGC workforce’s probe entered the third day on Sunday (July 20, 2025), and its members refused to present any indication of their findings.

The members of the interior complaints committee, shaped by the school authority to look into the grievances of the coed, have been being questioned by the investigating groups, and their statements had been recorded, an official stated with out divulging particulars.