The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) asked the State government to intimate the Commission about steps taken for speedy disbursement of stipend to all students belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe. The commission’s directive came in wake of a tribal girl committing suicide due to delay in issue of government stipend in time in Gajapati district recently.
The OHRC was hearing the case pertaining to Sunita Raita’s suicide, who was pursing a career in nursing in a Bhubaneswar-based college.
“She was entitled to a stipend of Rs. 54,000 a year to meet her educational expenses. Due to non-release of the stipend, the college authorities had reportedly expelled Sunita. It was alleged that no relief was provided to her even after she requested collector Gajapati at R. Udaygiri,” submitted Prabir Kumar Das, a human rights activist and lawyer.
Mr. Das had moved the OHRC seeking a high level enquiry into the case of suicide in context of negligence in giving the stipend and compensation to the tune of Rs. 10 lakh to next of kin of the victim.
He had also urged OHRC to intervene so that proper steps could be taken for monitoring of the release of stipend to needy SC and ST students to meet their educational needs.
Hearing the case, the Commission asked Revenue Divisional Commissioner (southern division), Berhampur to conduct an enquiry into the chain of events leading to the death of tribal girl and fix responsibility on persons responsible for such delay in sanction of stipend. The RDC was asked to submit the report within four weeks.
It needs to be mentioned that suicide by the tribal girl had evoked sharp reactions in the State.
The government was forced to transfer Gajapati district collector. The RDC (southern division) is already enquiring to the incident.
