A second year student of Integrated BEd at Fakir Mohan College, Soumyashree died by self immolation after suffering 95 per cent burns. Her ordeal of sexual and mental harassment at the hands of an assistant professor of the college Samir Kumar Sahoo started six months back. Bisi knocked every possible door – from the college principal to faculty members, the Higher Education department to local MP – seeking help, till she took the drastic step.
She left no stone unturned seeking justice. But, she was harrassed, vilified and thus ultimately pushed to death. Rival student organisation NSUI(Students wing of Congress) started assassination of her character. Ultimately, Soumyashree chose to end her life.
Soumyashree was a bright student. She was a master trainer in self-defense. She had also received disaster management training and she was involved in social activities. She was associated with the ABVP. But, a professor of the Samir Kumar Sahoo allegedly demanded sexual favours in exchange for clearing her backlogs. She faced sexual and mental harassment. Soumyashree’s father claimed that the accused professor had threatened to fail her if she didn’t agree to his demands.
Her father alleged, “After she lodged a complaint with the ICC against HoD Samir Sahoo, he brought together a few students and started claiming all her allegations against him were fake, following which she was under immense mental stress”.
On Saturday, Soumyashree went to the principal Dilip Ghosh’s chamber seeking action against Sahoo. “I informed her that the allegation against Sahu has not been established by the internal complaints committee (ICC). Since Sahoo had also accused the girl of lying, I called him to my chamber in presence of Soumyashree and offered them a mediation. However, she was not in a good frame of mind and stormed out. A few minutes later, we heard an explosion and were told that the girl had set herself afire,” said Ghosh, who has been suspended after the incident. Police believe the girl was carrying petrol in her bag which she used for self-immolation.
ABVP alleged that several NSUI members are involved in character assassination of Soumyashree. In numerous posts on Facebook, NSUI members wrote against Soumyashree. Members of the NSUI (Congress student wing) began a smear campaign.. “She does politics and then cries for attendance”, “You’re always roaming around”, “You don’t even come to class” etc.
Balasore SP Prasad said the girl had not filed any police complaint as she wanted to take up the matter with the ICC first. “On June 30, the college principal had assured us to finish the inquiry within five days and submit a report to the police. But that never happened. The principal also did not inform the Higher Education department about the complaint,” he said.
“She was associated with the ABVP. But, a professor of the Samir Kumar Sahoo allegedly demanded sexual favours in exchange for clearing her backlogs….”
Just imagine the same Hindu name sounding professor and Hindu name sounding Principal thinking of treating a Muslim girl associated with Students Islamic Organisation of India or Muslim Students Federation this way! They will, quite possibly, yellow their pants at the very thought!
And then we have cases of Hindu girls compromised into sex via sham marriage/friendship and forcibly converted by Mohammadan ecosystem on the basis of argument that they are safer after conversion! And ironically there is some substance in that!
Then again, rapes and sexual violence in Muslim societies only gets convoluted under their religious system.
While it is obvious every day that West Bengal and other anti-Hindu governments appease Mohammadans and Hindus and their religious, cultural places and organizations are abused by Hindu sounding non-Hindus too, this issue goes beyond that.
If it is proposed that Bharat should be declared a Hindu Rashtra, then the first step prior to that would be to define and implement a Hindu social response system that includes, among other things, dealing with sexual exploitation scenarios in institutions, and such dharmic system to exist nationwide transcending local political gangsterim.