TV
July 2025 has torn open the long-buried wounds of Odisha’s institutional decay where harassment, administrative apathy, and systemic silencing of victims flourished under the shadow of political power. The current surge in crimes are the bloody footprints of a system that allegedly turned a blind eye for decades.
The tragic self-immolation of a young student of Balasore’s FM College in July and a slew of cases within the same month have shocked the conscience of the state. These are not isolated horrors, they mark the eruption of long-suppressed rage against an alleged culture of impunity that thrived during the two-decade rule of the BJD.
FM College Horror: A Symbol of Institutional Betrayal
On July 12, a brave girl set herself ablaze outside the principal’s chamber at FM Autonomous College, Balasore, after months of alleged harassment by a Professor and indifference by the college authorities. She succumbed to 95% burn injuries, triggering state-wide mourning.
Shockingly, this wasn’t a standalone case. Campus harassment and victim silencing were allegedly common practices in Odisha, especially during the BJD years, with internal complaint committees either dysfunctional or used to suppress genuine complaints.
Puri Horror: Minor Set on Fire
In a chilling echo of the Balasore incident, a minor girl in Puri was set on fire on July 19 and sustained severe injuries. The case triggered Crime Branch intervention and national outrage.
Recurring Pattern Across Odisha: Cases in July 2025 Alone:
1. Jagatsinghpur College: Sub-Collector lodges FIR against principal and lecturer for sexually harassing a girl student; both accused are absconding.
2. Cuttack (Athagarh): A female lecturer accuses principal of harassment and rape threats, complaints dating back to 2024 were ignored.
3. MKCG Medical College, Berhampur: PG students accuse an associate professor of mental and academic harassment.
4. Rourkela: A private nursing home MD accused of harassing a female staffer; no prior disciplinary record, despite earlier whispers.
5. Balasore (RIHS): A suicide case from BJD-era resurfaces where a student ended her life due to professor harassment; case buried, accused still on the run.
Critics allege that such bold crimes reflect how emboldened perpetrators became during the BJD rule, where convictions were rare and institutional action was delayed or deflected.
The BJD Era (2000–2024): A Culture of Silence and Suppression?
It is alleged that during the 24-year rule of BJD under Naveen Patnaik, most educational institutions and hospitals saw politically backed appointments, with allegations of harassment often buried or compromised. It was also alleged that most of the harassment complaints in educational institutions during this period were either withdrawn or unresolved.
On the other hand, be it the Mamita Meher murder case (2021), Chandrapur minor rape & murder (2020), Dhenkanal shelter home abuse case (2018), Mahanga double murder case (2021), Kalahandi sex tape & trafficking case or the 2019 Kendrapara case when a female Zilla Parishad member accused a senior BJD leader of sexual harassment and political threats, such instances only added to the woes.
Crimes Against Women & Convictions
As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report in 2022, Odisha’s conviction rate in IPC crimes was only ahead of Assam (5.6) and Lakshadweep (0). The State’s conviction rate was 11.2 in 2020 and 21.5 in 2019-- a sharp drop.
Odisha continued to grapple with one of the lowest conviction rates in the country, especially under Special and Local Laws (SLL). As per the NCRB 2021 report, the state recorded a staggering 6,95,198 IPC cases pending trial from previous years, with an additional 96,250 new cases sent for trial that year. Under the SLL category, 1,81,156 cases were awaiting trial, while 28,939 fresh cases were added in 2021.
This disappointing figure even forced current Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to address it during a sensitisation programme organised by the Law Department to raise awareness about the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita at Lok Seva Bhawan in November 2024. The Chief Minister then stated that the state government would consider establishing more special courts, if necessary, to fast-track cases related to atrocities against women.
Strongly criticising the previous BJD government for its alarmingly low conviction rate, the Chief Minister said that the rule of law was compromised due to a lack of political will to enforce it.
CM Majhi cited NCRB 2022 data, calling it a matter of shame for Odisha, where the conviction rate in women-related violence cases stood at just 9.3 per cent, one of the lowest in the country. In contrast, Uttar Pradesh recorded a 70.8 per cent conviction rate, Mizoram 68 per cent, and Bihar 60.9 per cent.
New Govt Scrambling for Control
The BJP-led state government, fresh in power since 2024, now faces the formidable task of dismantling an alleged corrupt and apathetic legacy. Though the BJP government is seemingly taking all possible measures towards its complete eradication and has come up with a special programme ‘Shaktisree’ to ensure safety of girl students in colleges and universities in the state, critics argue that nothing can be fixed in a day or two what 24 years of silence destroyed; but, they welcomed the step.
Voices from the Ground
“The internal complaint committees in most colleges were a joke as they used to be filled with staff loyal to the BJD-backed principals,” alleged a retired professor on condition of anonymity.
“There were times when students raised their voice. But when they dared to speak out, police often admitted their helplessness, citing pressure from higher authorities that prevented them from taking action,” claimed a student activist.
As a new government now grapples with the alleged toxic legacy it has inherited, July 2025 stands as a defining moment, exposing the price of unchecked authority and renewing the call for justice, accountability, and reform. Now, hopes are high, with the new government at the helm assuring to leave no stone unturned in ensuring safety of girls and women across the state.
