Balasore self-immolation: 'Heads must roll,' says BJD leader Amar Patnaik after student's death

ANI

Bhubaneswar (Odisha), July 15, 2025 (ANI): On the death of the girl student who immolated herself, BJD leader Amar Patnaik said, "... We are all deeply distressed and anguished. The student community in Odisha are completely shocked at this negligence and callousness. A government that refused to listen to a student begging for justice and mercy from sexual harassment by her teacher...She had approached the local MLA, local administration, MP, the concerned minister, and finally she tweeted, tagging the CM and the education minister... Nobody listened to her plea for help... Heads must roll. The BJP must take action against the concerned ministers, the MP and the local political leaders whom she had gone to plead with. She belonged to ABVP. If a member of ABVP cannot be protected in a government led by the BJP, what can be more shocking?... I wish the government would take the strictest action,”

Transcript

00:00We are all deeply distressed, extremely anguished.

00:05The student community in particular of Udissa are completely, completely shocked at this gross negligence, apathy and callousness of a government

00:16that refused to listen to a begging student, begging for justice, begging for mercy from sexual harassment by her teacher.

00:26Now, what worse can happen in an educational setup and as famous as the Fakirman University, one of the oldest in our state?

00:36The tragedy that has come to the family, I have my sympathies, I share their grief.

00:44But what is happening, shockingly, is the fact that the system is just not running in this government.

00:52And she had not only been running from pillar to pause, she had approached the local MLA, the local administration,

01:01the local member of parliament, the minister concerned.

01:05And finally, she tweeted tagging the chief minister and the education minister of our country, who incidentally is from Udissa.

01:13Now, nobody listened to her plea for help.

01:18Now, that's really shocking.

01:21It pains me deeply.

01:22And as I told you, the student community of Udissa in every college, in every institution in this state,

01:31are deeply hurt, anguished at this apathy, callousness, hard-heartedness.

01:38And I think total lack of sensitivity to a girl's student's plea for justice.

01:46I have tweeted that heads must roll.

01:52The BJP must, you know, take action against the ministers concerned, the members of parliament,

02:00the local political leaders whom she had gone to plea.

02:03And you know, what is shocking is the fact that she belonged to ABBP.

02:06Now, if a student community, which is believing in ABBP, member of ABBP,

02:12cannot be protected in a government which is led by BJP,

02:16what more shocking can anything else be?

02:20And the fact that she had been doing it not out of impulse.

02:28This has been going on for some certain period of long duration of time.

02:32So, she didn't do it out of impulse.

02:34She did it out of helplessness.

02:36At the helplessness in, you know, not being able to do anything.

02:42Nobody listening to a voice.

02:43I wish that the government takes the strictest action.

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