Now Reading: Odisha teacher attacks woman colleague, four family members
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Odisha teacher attacks woman colleague, four family members
A youth attacked a government school teacher and four of her family members at their home in Balasore district on Monday afternoon, police said. The accused, Pruthviraj Kar, allegedly forced his way into the house of Suchismita Sethi in Patapur village and attacked her along with her father Krushna, mother Prabhasini, brother Jyotirmay and grandfather Babaji Sethi.
All five were taken to Oupada hospital before being shifted to the district headquarters hospital in Balasore as their condition worsened. Police said the attack stemmed from a dispute over Kar's alleged one-sided love affair that had been ongoing since 2022. The victim's family said Kar had been harassing Sethi and was dismissed from his teaching job after they submitted written complaints.
Villagers overpowered Kar and handed him over to police. The victim's father said Kar had threatened to eliminate the family and abduct Sethi. A police investigation is underway.
Indian Opinion Analysis
This is the third high-profile attack by a 'one-sided lover' reported in Odisha in under a month. The earlier cases involved a stabbing death of a woman three days before her wedding and an acid attack on a student. As per government data, crimes against women in the state have risen 12% year-on-year in 2024, yet conviction rates remain below 25%. School authorities, the block education officer and the district collector had all been alerted to Pruthviraj Kar's behaviour, but the administrative process, suspension, failed to prevent violence. The police investigation will now determine if the earlier complaints were acted upon swiftly enough. The next key question is whether the Odisha Education Department will frame a standard protocol for handling teacher-on-teacher harassment complaints across all districts.
Source: odishatv.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
