Bhubaneswar: In the aftermath of the self-immolation attempt by a female student of Fakir Mohan College over alleged harassment, the Odisha Government today directed all higher educational institutions in the State to submit a compliance report on the formation of Internal Committees (IC) within 24 hours.

All colleges and universities under the Higher Education Department have been instructed to constitute the ICs in accordance with Section 4 of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. Institutions must ensure proper representation of women members and inclusion of external representatives in the committee, the department stated in an official letter.

Furthermore, the institutions are required to adhere to the UGC (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment of Women Employees and Students in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2015.

The names and contact details of all IC members must be prominently displayed on campus for public awareness and uploaded to the HIMS portal. A geo-tagged photograph of the location where this information is displayed must be submitted through the provided link: https://tinyurl.com/ICCHED25.

To raise awareness, colleges and universities have also been directed to organise sensitisation workshops on the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013 for students and faculty members.

Earlier in the day, the Regional Directorate of Education issued a separate advisory instructing all colleges in the state to implement strict preventive measures to avoid the recurrence of sensitive incidents on campus. The advisory reiterated the urgent need for the formation of Internal Complaints Committees, as mandated by the UGC.

Institutions have also been asked to ensure 24x7 campus surveillance through in-house squad teams and CCTV systems. Education authorities were directed to take proactive steps to avert any untoward incidents and to ensure their internal systems are fully operational and responsive in emergencies.

College principals must report any negligence or lapses in implementation immediately to the Directorate.

Meanwhile, the condition of Soumyashree, the student from FM College who attempted self-immolation, remains critical. She has suffered 90% burn injuries and underwent dialysis due to kidney failure. She is currently being treated at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar.