Bhubaneswar, July 16 -- A 20-year-old college student, who set herself afire over alleged sexual harassment by a professor in Odisha, succumbed to her injuries, officials said on Tuesday, adding she was cremated in her village in Balasore district. Hours later, the University Grants Commission (UGC) formed a fact-finding panel to look into incident that has triggered outrage over women's safety. The death sparked a massive political slugfest in the eastern state, with leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi calling it an "organised murder by the BJP's system" and Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan accusing the Congress leader of "playing cheap politics." Opposition parties also called an "Odisha Bandh" (statewide shutdown) on July 17 and demanded the resignation of the state higher education minister. The second-year student at the Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore had set herself on fire on July 12 , demanding action against assistant professor Samir Kumar Sahoo, who heads the education department at the institute. The victim has alleged that Sahoo had been asking her for "favours" and had also threatened her to destroy her academic career if she did not oblige. Sahoo was arrested on July 12, while college principal Dilip Ghose was arrested on Monday for attempts to shield the accused. The victim, who suffered 95% burn injuries, was put on dialysis late on Sunday but her condition failed to improve. "The patient was brought to casualty on July 12 at 5:15 PM by her friend and was resuscitated with IV fluids, IV antibiotics, intubated and put on mechanical ventilation. Despite adequate resuscitation and all possible supportive management including renal replacement therapy at Burns ICU, she could not be revived and was declared clinically dead at 11:46 PM on July 14," a medical bulletin issued by AIIMS Bhubaneswar said. Her body was brought to her village in Balasore district for the last rites on Tuesday. "I have faith in the government and its system. Sir (the chief minister) sent me an SMS and assured me of a proper investigation. Nothing will happen if we lose faith in the government, administration, and the rule of law. My daughter is no more. I request everyone, with folded hands-please do not use her for politics...," said the victim's father. Demanding severe punishment for the accused, the victim's mother said, "I will never get my daughter back, but the HoD and the principal should be severely punished. I don't think my daughter immolated herself. She was killed by the HoD and the principal." In a statement on Tuesday, UGC secretary Sudeep Singh Jain said a four-member panel was formed to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident, including availability and effectiveness of factors such as institutional policies, grievance redressal mechanism, anti-harassment measures adopted and student support systems. "The panel will examine circumstances surrounding the incident, assess compliance with the stipulated regulatory provisions, and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in future," he added. The panel, to be headed by Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University professor and UGC member Raj Kumar Mittal, will also comprise former UGC member Sushma Yadav, former Gujarat University vice chancellor Neerja Gupta, and UGC joint secretary Ashima Mangla. Expressing grief over the student's death, CM Majhi said all culprits in the case will face the strictest punishment under law. "I assure the family of the deceased student that all those guilty in this case will face the strictest punishment as per the law..." Congress MP Rahul Gandhi targeted the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in state, calling the student's death an "organised murder by the BJP's system". "The death of a daughter fighting for justice in Odisha is nothing less than a murder by the BJP's system. That brave student raised her voice against sexual harassment, but instead of delivering justice, she was threatened, tormented, and repeatedly humiliated. Those who were supposed to protect her kept breaking her," Gandhi posted on X. Pradhan hit back at the former Congress president. "The cheap politics played by Rahul Gandhi and Congress on the tragic incident involving Odisha's daughter is extremely unfortunate. Turning a serious and sensitive matter into a political weapon reflects @RahulGandhi's petty mindset. The incident in Odisha has shaken the entire nation, but Congress has seized this opportunity to bake its political bread," he posted on X. Meanwhile, eight Opposition parties, including Congress, on Tuesday unitedly called for "Odisha Bandh" on July 17, and demanded the resignation of the state higher education minister. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) called the student's death a result of a system that "remained silent." "It is even more disturbing to think how a failed system can take someone's life. The most painful part is that this was not an accident, but rather the result of a system that remained silent instead of helping. Struggling for justice, the girl ultimately closed her eyes," BJD chief and former CM Naveen Patnaik said on X....