Odisha Shuts Down
Streets across Odisha wore a deserted look today as a massive statewide bandh brought life to a halt. The shutdown, led by the Congress and backed by eight opposition parties, was in response to the death of a 20-year-old college student who succumbed to injuries after attempting self-immolation. The student had reportedly faced sexual harassment and institutional apathy, sparking outrage and political uproar.
Odisha Shuts Down
Shops remained shuttered, public transport was off the roads, and protests erupted in key cities as opposition leaders marched with party flags and placards demanding justice. The student, enrolled at Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore, had lodged a complaint against her college’s Head of Department but received no action from authorities despite escalating the matter to top state and district officials.
Odisha Shuts Down
She died at AIIMS Bhubaneswar earlier this week, days after setting herself on fire in protest.
“This bandh is not about politics, it’s about justice,” said Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) chief Bhakta Charan Das. “If we stay silent now, every student, every daughter is at risk.”
Odisha Shuts Down
The Congress party is demanding the resignation of Odisha’s Education Minister, the local MLA, and the MP, accusing them of gross negligence. CPI(M) leader Suresh Panigrahi echoed the call, seeking a strict judicial probe into what he called a “systemic failure.”
“She cried out for help from everyone, the principal, police, politicians, even ministers, but no one listened,” Panigrahi said. “Her death demands accountability at the highest level.”
Amid rising anger, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi personally spoke to the grieving father of the student. Describing her death as a “wound to the entire society,” he said the party stands firmly with the family.
Odisha Shuts Down
“Her story is one of courage and pain,” Gandhi wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “What happened is inhuman and shameful. We will not rest until her family gets full justice.”
He also slammed the BJP-led state government, calling the tragedy an “organised murder by the BJP’s system,” alleging the victim was silenced through threats and humiliation instead of receiving protection and justice.
Meanwhile, security across Odisha has been intensified, with police deployed in sensitive areas to maintain law and order.
Odisha Shuts Down
As the state mourns the loss of a young life, the incident has ignited a broader debate on women’s safety, institutional accountability, and political responsibility.
