Bhubaneswar: Trouble seems to be mounting for the Mohan Majhi government in Odisha, with opposition parties hitting the streets over the self-immolation bid on Saturday (July 12) by a female student of the Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore, after failing to get justice in a case of sexual harassment.The woman, a 20-year-old second-year integrated BEd student at the college, one of the oldest in the state, has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar after sustaining nearly 90% burn injuries.AIIMS Bhubaneswar executive director Ashutosh Biswas said the hospital is doing its best to save her. “We are doing everything possible in this case,” he told media-persons.Chief minister Majhi visited the hospital to inquire about her condition and assured the best possible treatment for her. “If needed, arrangements will be made to airlift her to Delhi,” said Majhi, adding that strictest possible action would be taken against the guilty after the inquiry committee constituted by the higher education department submits its report.The two major opposition parties – the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Congress – took to the streets after news of the woman setting herself ablaze on the college campus on Saturday reached Bhubaneswar.While the BJD tried to gherao the chief minister’s residence, Congress workers demonstrated in several parts of the capital city.Sources said that the woman, who hails from Balasore district, had lodged a complaint with college principal Dillip Ghosh against assistant professor Samira Kumar Sahu and that the matter had been referred to the internal complaints committee.However, the case was allegedly taken lightly and no action was taken against the accused professor who, the woman had alleged, had sexually harassed her and threatened to ruin her academic career.Frustrated by the college authorities’ alleged indifferent attitude towards her plight, the woman set herself ablaze near the main building of the college on Saturday and was rushed to Bhubaneswar in critical condition.As she receives treatment at AIIMS, the principal has been placed under suspension by the higher education department and Sahu, who was also head of the college’s education department, has been arrested on charges of sexual harassment and abetment of suicide.The case, coming in the wake of two major rape cases in different parts of the state, has caused acute embarrassment to the BJP government, with the opposition demanding the immediate resignation of higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj, who has constituted a high-level committee to probe the incident.“We have taken this matter seriously and will initiate steps to ensure not only due punishment for the guilty, but also to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future,” the minister told media-persons.Some have alleged negligence on part of the college authorities in the matter. Balasore MP and former Union minister Pratap Sarangi told a private TV channel that the woman had brought the matter to his notice and that he had asked the college principal to do justice to her.“I had also asked the girl to be brave,” said Sarangi, accusing the college authorities of being callous towards the woman, who he said should have been counselled.BJD MLA Byomkesh Ray demanded the resignation of the higher education minister, whom he accused of being negligent and callous.“The girl kept approaching everyone to save her honour and dignity, but this callous government did not help her,” said Ray, who was at the forefront of the party’s demonstration against the government on the issue.Snehangini Chhuria, a senior women’s wing leader of the party and a former minister, also lambasted the government for being callous towards women. “They lack respect for women. This is why crimes against women are on the rise,” she said.Leader of the opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik expressed shock over the incident and sought governor Hari Babu Kambhampati’s intervention to ensure justice for the woman.“In our higher education framework, the Governor serves as the Chancellor of key government-run universities, including FM University. I urge the Hon’ble Governor (@GovernorOdisha) to intervene and ensure that the student receives the justice she so desperately sought,” said Patnaik in a post on X while praying for the woman’s swift recovery.Incidentally, the shocker from Balasore came just a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘samvidhan bachao’ (‘save the constitution’) rally in Bhubaneswar on Friday, where a main focus was on growing atrocities against women in the state.Condemning the Balasore incident, the Congress’s Odisha president Bhakta Charan Das wrote on X: “A day after Rahul Gandhi Ji said that women are not safe in Odisha, a shocking tragedy struck FM College, Balasore where a young girl attempted self-immolation and battling for life after failing to get justice. The authorities were aware of the sexual favours sought by the Professor and harassment, but did not act on time to protect the girl or give her justice.”The state Congress has been carrying a campaign against the BJP government’s alleged failure to provide security to women with cases of rape, kidnapping and sexual harassment on the rise.In the last one month, the state has reported two major cases of gang-rape, one of them taking place at a well-known tourist destination.Commenting on the prevailing scenario in the state, former MLA Lalatendu Mohapatra said, “The Balasore case is just the tip of the iceberg. In the near future, we will hear of more such incidents taking place. There is a concerted attempt to suppress the voice of opposition leaders who seek to bring such cases to light. The Congress is building up a state-wide campaign on this issue and every conscious citizen should support this campaign.”Though no BJP leader was willing to go on record on the Balasore incident, there is a grudging admission within the party that the government needs to take tough action against criminals targeting women, as such crimes are damaging its image.“They constitute a key vote-bank which may slip away from the party’s grasp,” remarked a leader who was not willing to be identified.