Rights panel seeks report in 4 weeks
The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has directed the State Government to conduct an inquiry by the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), Southern Division, into the suicide of Sunita Raita, a tribal nursing student of Diptinagar village under R Udayagiri block of Gajapati district who committed suicide on August 13.
The girl allegedly committed suicide due to gross apathy of the ITDA authorities and the district Collector in releasing the stipend money she was entitled to over a long period.
“The investigation should be made to ascertain the chain of events leading to the unfortunate death of the tribal girl student who committed suicide after being expelled from the college where she was pursuing her study in nursing,” the commission observed while acting on a petition filed by human rights activist and High Court lawyer Prabir Kumar Das.
Besides, the commission also directed the investigating authorities to fix responsibility “on those responsible for the inordinate delay in the release of the stipend and submit a report to the commission within four weeks.”
The commission also directed the SC and SC Development Commissioner-cum-Secretary to apprise it of the steps taken in this regard for speedy disbursement of stipend to all the SC and ST students of the State as urged by the petitioner.