Bhubaneswar: In a rare gesture of compassion and sensitivity, President Droupadi Murmu on Monday broke protocol to visit Soumyasree Bisi, a 20-year-old student battling for her life at the special burns unit of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar.

Soumyasree, a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) student at Fakir Mohan (FM) Autonomous College in Balasore, had attempted self-immolation on July 12 after allegedly being denied justice in a sexual harassment case she filed against the head of her department, Sameer Kumar Sahoo. The college’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), reportedly not properly constituted, dismissed her complaint as ‘baseless.’

According to the victim’s family, the college principal, Dilip Ghosh, allegedly threatened to file defamation charges against her for tarnishing the institution’s image, leaving her deeply distressed.

The President, who was in the city to attend the 5th convocation of AIIMS Bhubaneswar, expressed her wish to meet the girl after learning about the incident. Though the visit was not part of her official itinerary, President Murmu proceeded to the hospital’s burn ward, accompanied by Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi.

"The President became emotional seeing my sister in such a condition. She instructed doctors to provide the best possible care and urged everyone to pray for her recovery," the girl’s brother told reporters.

Earlier in the day, the President conferred degrees on hundreds of graduates from various disciplines during the AIIMS convocation. She is scheduled to attend the 13th convocation of Ravenshaw University in Cuttack on Tuesday.