New Delhi, Oct. 24 -- A fact-finding committee set up by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to investigate the death of a 20-year-old student in July in Odisha's Balasore district has found "serious lapses", "gross negligence", and "insensitivity" by the administration of her college in handling repeated sexual harassment complaints, HT has learnt.

The 20-year-old second-year student of Fakir Mohan College in Balasore set herself on fire on July 12 and succumbed to her injuries two days later, sparking massive outrage across the country. In a complaint on July 1, the victim had alleged that the head of her department, Samir Kumar Sahoo, was asking her for "favours" and threatened to destroy her academic career if she did not oblige....