Two more individuals, including a leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), have been arrested by the Crime Branch of Odisha Police in connection with the self-immolation of a 20-year-old student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore last month.

The latest arrests, made late Sunday night, include Jyoti Prakash Biswal, a student of the college who had also sustained burns while trying to rescue the woman, and Subhra Sambit Nayak, the state joint secretary of ABVP, the student wing of the BJP. According to officials, both were present at the scene when the student set herself ablaze.

"Jyoti Prakash Biswal and Subhra Sambait Nayak have been arrested on charges of instigating the girl to commit self-immolation," said a senior Crime Branch officer. Biswal, who was admitted to SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack for burn injuries, was taken into custody after his discharge.

The duo was produced before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) in Balasore on Sunday night. Their bail petitions were rejected, and both were remanded to 14-day judicial custody.

The second-year B.Ed. student had set herself on fire outside the college Principal’s office on July 12, after her repeated sexual harassment complaints against the Head of the Department (HoD) were allegedly dismissed by the institution's Internal Complaints Committee (ICC). She sustained severe burn injuries and died while undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on the night of July 14.

Earlier, the police had arrested Assistant Professor Samira Kumar Sahoo, who headed the Education Department, and college Principal Dillip Ghose. The two are accused of abetment to suicide, sexual harassment, and outraging the modesty of a woman. Both have since been suspended.

According to the victim’s family and police investigation, the student was subjected to relentless pressure to withdraw her complaint against HoD Sahoo, who allegedly harassed her sexually and mentally, threatened academic retaliation, and even mobilized other students to act against her. The student reportedly took the drastic step after a humiliating meeting with the Principal, during which she was pressured and shamed.

Her family’s FIR also stated that the Principal had warned her she would be "driven to suicide" if she didn’t retract the allegations.

Following the incident and a growing political outcry, the Crime Against Women and Children Wing (CAW\&CW) of the Crime Branch was handed the investigation. The case has triggered a political storm in the state, with opposition parties accusing the government of failing to protect the victim and attempting a cover-up.

The total number of arrests in the case now stands at four.

With inputs from agencies