S Shyni, IG of Odisha Police Crime Branch, who was heading the investigation into the death of a college student after self-immolation in Balasore, has gone on leave till August 15, officials said on Wednesday.
Shyni, the chief of the Crime Against Women and Children Wing (CAWCW), went on leave from Tuesday. Shyni leave comes a day after the arrest of two ABVP leaders on charge of abetment of suicide of the woman student, who set herself on fire on July 12 and succumbed to burn injuries on July 14 while undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
As S Shyni has gone on leave, Crime Branch SP Anirudha Routray has been asked to look after the probe in the former’s absence.
“IGP Shyni has gone on leave on personal work. Routray will supervise the Balasore student’s self-immolation death case,” informed Vinaytosh Mishra, Crime Branch DG
Mishra further said that Shyni’s going on leave has nothing to do with the arrest of the two student leaders.
The 20-year-old second-year victim, a student at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore, set herself on fire on July 12 and died two days later from 95 per cent burn injuries. She had alleged that the college’s Head of Department (HoD) had sought sexual favours and that the college administration had failed to act on her complaint.
On July 16, Crime Branch took over the investigation into the case.
So far, four persons – two Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) leaders, the accused professor and a former principal of the college – have been arrested in connection with the case.
