Two arrested for allegedly abetting self-immolation of FM College student Soumyashree Bisi

Bhubaneswar, Aug 4: In a major breakthrough in the self-immolation case of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College student Soumyashree Bisi, the Odisha Crime Branch has arrested two youths—Jyoti Prakash Biswal and Shubhra Sambit. The duo has been accused of instigating the 20-year-old to take the extreme step in protest against alleged harassment and institutional inaction.

Jyoti Prakash, who initially appeared to have tried to save Soumyashree during the incident, and Shubhra Sambit, the state youth secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), were reportedly in close contact with the victim. Investigators allege that they not only provoked Soumyashree emotionally but also assisted her in carrying out the act. Shockingly, the duo allegedly filmed the incident on their mobile phones.

Both were arrested and produced before the SDJM court, which remanded them to 14 days of judicial custody.

Soumyashree, a second-year Integrated B.Ed student, had accused her department head, Samir Kumar Sahu, of sexual and mental harassment. Despite the formation of a college-level inquiry committee, she felt justice was denied. On July 11, she poured petrol on herself and set herself on fire on campus. Despite being treated at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, she died on July 14 after suffering 95% burn injuries.