Bhubaneswar: The Crime Branch of Odisha Police on Tuesday submitted a preliminary chargesheet in the Court in connection with the female student's self-immolation death case at the FM (Autonomous) College, Balasore. 

The Odisha Police, in an official statement, revealed that the chargesheet contains statements of 120 witnesses, vital evidence collected from different digital gadgets and other sources. 

It further added that as per section 193(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, a preliminary chargesheet running into 504 pages has been submitted in the court by the Crime Branch on Tuesday. 

The investigation into the case is ongoing to collect more evidence and ascertain the involvement of more persons in the matter. It is pertinent here to mention that a team led by Iman Kalyani Nayak, DSP, CAW & CW of the crime branch, launched an investigation based on the complaint lodged by the deceased female student’s brother. 

As per the complaint, the Head of the Department (HoD) and Assistant Professor Samir Kumar Sahu were mentally harassing the victim and demanding undue favours from her, who was a third-year B.Ed student of FM College, Balasore. 

The victim committed self-immolation following the mental harassment on July 12. The victim who sustained over 90 per cent burn injuries succumbed while undergoing treatment at the AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, on July 14. 

The Crime Branch team has so far arrested four persons in connection with the case. The accused HoD Sahu was arrested on July 12, while police arrested the college principal Dillip Ghose on July 14. 

On the other hand, two college students, Subhra Sambit Nayak and Jyoti Prakash Biswal, were arrested by the police on August 3 on the charges of criminal conspiracy and abetment to suicide. 

The incident shook the whole state as the opposition Congress and Biju Janata Dal cornered the state government over the growing cases of atrocities against women in Odisha after the BJP came to power in the state. 

The opposition staged a statewide protest demanding justice for the victim student.

(IANS)