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Congress MP KC Venugopal on Tuesday said that the law and order situation in Odisha is collapsing day by day, following the death of a 20-year-old student from Balasore who had attempted self-immolation.
Venugopal said even educational institutions are becoming unsafe for women, and accused the BJP of shielding perpetrators and failing to ensure justice. In a post on X, KC Venugopal wrote, "The law and order situation in Odisha is collapsing every day. Even educational institutions are turning into dangerous places for women, with cries of help and justice falling of deaf ears. It became so unbearable that a young student was forced to immolate herself, and she succumbed to the injuries today." https://x.com/kcvenugopalmp/status/1945017383640559630 He demanded accountability and said the Congress would not rest until justice is served and the culprits face the harshest punishment. "The BJP has a horrible track record of shielding the assaulters and neglecting the plight of women. We demand accountability for this horrific situation, and we will not rest until justice is served and the perpetrators of this unspeakable crime are given the harshest punishment," the post reads. Meanwhile, Odisha State Congress President Bhakta Charan Das has called for a statewide "bandh" on July 17 in protest against the death of a student of Balasore Fakir Mohan Autonomous College, who self-immolated herself in protest over sexual harassment by her teacher.T Das demanded the resignation of the State Education Minister, local MLA and MP over the death of the Balasore student. "Our demand is that the Education Minister, the MLA, and the MP--all three--should resign, and their party should expel all three... On the 17th, we have called for an Odisha bandh, and we appeal to all sections to support it," Das told ANI. The Odisha Congress Chief alleged that the victim, even after complaining at multiple forums, did not get justice. The 20-year-old student set herself on fire after allegedly facing prolonged sexual harassment by her college's Head of Department. Despite lodging a formal complaint and seeking help from the principal, her pleas were ignored, leading to her taking the drastic step inside the campus of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College on Saturday. Yesterday, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar confirmed that the student had succumbed to her burns. She was first admitted to the Balasore district hospital before being moved to AIIMS. Opposition parties staged protests demanding justice for the deceased student and strict action against those involved. Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College Education Head of Department Samira Kumar Sahu and Principal Dilip Ghose have been arrested in the case. (ANI)
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