What a paradox played itself out today. It is too recent to forget when in last February an incident of suicide by a Nepali student inside prestigious education campus had tempted some media channels and ‘Rights activists’ to run out of their skins and virtually pitched tents before the above campus of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology(KIIT) and tried to highlight the incident.

News and views were disseminated almost 24x7 by a certain Odia channel (supposedly the leading regional channel in Odisha, owned by a BJP heavyweight) , Youtubers and human rights activists offering the fodders to keep the issue alive day in and day out like a running commentary of a sports and moreover with, perhaps, the main objective to sullen the image the KIIT founder, were nowhere within miles of F M College in Balasore.  

It was an unfortunate incident and the KIIT authorities had made their regrets for that at several occasions.

But, the incident of Balasore which has agitated million hearts all over the country has failed to stir the conscience of the above media houses and activists setting a new yet painful precedent of selective amnesia which negates all the ethics of journalism in the book.  

There is a saying in Odia that, ‘Bahaghar pare bedi re nacha’ (which means dancing on the altar after the marriage is over). That is exactly what is happening in Odisha after the tragic death (or killing) of Somyaashree Bisi ,a  student of F M College in Balasore by self-immolation.

Today, on July 17 the Congress has given a statewide ‘bandh’ as a protest against the political dispensation here and the College authorities for not being able to save the girl from taking such an extreme step like self-immolation by dousing petrol on her in public, inside the campus and feets away from the principal’s office. She suffered 95% burn injuries and was already dead two days back.

Political Scavengers Now On Toes

Now the Congress or any other political party are busy reaping political benefit once everything is over. A ‘bandh’ at this time is nothing but a shameless self-back patting by the Congress in Odisha.

Similar notes can be penned for the main opposition party the Biju Janata Dal(BJD) that also on Wednesday came out in protest against Mohan Majhi government alleging willful neglect towards the pleas of Somyaashree when she needed it the most.   

Less said about the Majhi ‘Sarkar’ the better. A system that remained in a state of comatose despite repeated communications/ tweets by the victim to come to her help and stop the alleged teacher cum tormentor of her and the principal inflicting frequent mental tortures, including the demand for “ favour”,  (favour what; very implicit and that is sexual)  by the alleged teacher yet not a hair wilted in the system.

Although Somyaashree had brought the tale of her plight to the knowledge of all concerned, the chief minister, the state education minister, Union Education Minister, Pradhan, head of all the political and the principal, none paid heed to her predicament.

Even through a video, that went viral in social media, she had narrated the chronological details of the alleged teacher’s misdemeanors or transgressions meted out to her. She had even hinted in the video that her trauma has become so unbearable that she wanted to finish her life.

Where were the above characters including the chief minister then and now mouthing homilies for her.

Ordering a state Crime Branch probe by the government is like another bid to obfuscate the whole issue as is evident from many such similar probes by the State agency earlier in many cases. Or announcing a few lakhs of rupees for the victim’s family is no solace at all.

“Before that, why the CM has not asked the State Education Minister to resign for his unforgivable inactions is not known. What about the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who keeps airing his sympathy for the victim on and off camera” wonders Rabi Das, leading political analyst.

Even leader of the opposition Naveen Patnaik did not get up from his state of stupor except a few tweets condoling her death.

Where was Bhakta Charan Das, the incumbent PCC chief those days now calling ‘Bandhs’ and indulging in political soap operas after her death. Could not he have made a visit to Balasore and called the attention of the government. Somyashree’s life could have been saved.

It is like filling gold in the mouth of decay. Be it political opponents or people in power now lacing media platforms with condolences.

Even the state media obviously failed to match its actions with the gravity of Somyashree’s predicaments. Not to be economical with the truth where were the same brigade of media channels who were dancing non-stop near the above mentioned educational campus last February. If they had summoned the same spirit of the profession, Somyashree would have been among us today.

A girl comes out of the principal’s office, picks up a container filled with petrol and starts dousing her apparently in a bid to kill herself and there was not a soul inside such a huge campus to stop her from doing that. Not even a single security or any other staff from the college to prevent her.

“In a way, that smacks of an intractable silence or deliberated inaction of authorities inside the college that allowed the death or a murder. It is required to be probed by a Central probe agency not by a State Crime Branch” demanded a very senior & retired police officer who requested anonymity.     

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