Balasore student death: Rahul says country wants answers not PM's silence

Gandhi's remarks came after the Odisha college student, who set herself ablaze following alleged sexual harassment by a professor, died at AIIMS in Bhubaneswar

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Odisha college student who set herself ablaze following alleged sexual harassment by a professor died, and said the daughters of the country are burning and dying while the PM is sitting silent.

Gandhi said the country does not want the PM's silence, it wants answers.

His remarks came after the Odisha college student, who set herself ablaze following alleged sexual harassment by a professor, died at AIIMS in Bhubaneswar.

The second-year integrated B.Ed student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, Balasore, died on Monday night, after fighting for her life for three days.

She took the extreme step on Saturday over alleged inaction against the professor and suffered 95 per cent burns.

In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said the death of a daughter fighting for justice in Odisha is a "direct murder by the BJP system".

That brave student raised her voice against sexual exploitation -- but instead of justice, she was threatened, harassed and humiliated repeatedly, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.

Those who were supposed to protect her, kept oppressing her, Gandhi said.

"Like every time, the BJP system kept protecting the accused - and forced an innocent daughter to set herself on fire," he said.

"This is not suicide, it is an organised murder by the system," Gandhi alleged.

"Modi ji, be it Odisha or Manipur - the daughters of the country are burning, breaking down, dying. And you? Are sitting silent. The country does not want your silence, it wants answers," the former Congress president said.

The daughters of India want security and justice, Gandhi added.

The woman was first admitted to the Balasore district hospital and then shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for advanced treatment. She was undergoing treatment in the ICU, Department of Burn Centre, according to officials.

"The patient was resuscitated with IV fluids, IV antibiotics, intubated and put on mechanical ventilation. Despite adequate resuscitation and all possible supportive management, including renal replacement therapy at the Burns ICU, she could not be revived and was declared clinically dead at 11:46 pm on July 14," the Department of Burn Centre said in a statement.