Palasi mourns, seeks justice for its daughter

Thousands bid farewell to the 20-yr-old student of FM College; 4 platoons of police deployed during the final rites

- SUKANTA KUMAR SAHU @ Balasore

AN air of mourning filled Palasi, the native village of the 20-year-old female student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore's Bhograi block on Tuesday as her mortal remains were consigned to flames.

The victim had visited her home on July 5, on the occasion of Bahuda Yatra. Her aunt, Sashmita, recalled that she seemed stressed during the visit. "She took some photos of her cousins and they asked her to come again later so they could go out together," she said.

Her cousins said that she left early on July 6 for the college. "That was the last time we saw her," they said.

Neighbours recall her as a bright and a well-behaved student. She was one of the top scorers when she studied at the Rural Institute of Higher Studies in Bhograi. "We never expected her to take such a drastic step," a local resident shared.