Crime Branch Arrests 2, Including ABVP Leader, Over FM Student’s Self-Immolation

Balasore: The Crime Branch has arrested two youths, including a state leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), in connection with the self-immolation of FM College student Soumyashree Bisi.

Jyoti Prakash Biswal, who initially attempted to save Bisi, and Shubhra Sambit, the state youth secretary of ABVP, were taken into custody on allegations of instigating the student to take her own life.

Soumyashree, a 20-year-old Integrated B.Ed student, died on July 14 after a 55-hour struggle with 95% burns. She had set herself on fire on the college premises on July 11, protesting alleged sexual and mental harassment by her department head, Samir Kumar Sahu.According to reports, Biswal and Sambit allegedly encouraged her extreme act, filmed it on their phones, and even assisted her. Following their arrest, both were produced in court and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody. The arrests mark a significant development in a case that has sparked outrage over the college’s handling of the harassment allegations and the tragic death of the student.