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Odisha Congress President Bhakta Charan Das on Thursday said that the state bandh called by opposition parties has received strong support from the public, with thousands of party workers holding protests across districts.
Opposition parties in Odisha, led by the Congress, called a statewide bandh today to protest the death of a college student who set herself on fire in Balasore. Speaking to ANI, Bhakta Charan Das said, "...Thousands of cadres of the eight opposition parties are protesting in their respective districts. We are receiving huge support for the Odisha bandh...The public is also supporting the bandh and demanding justice for the victim..." Security forces were deployed, and petrol pumps remained closed in Bhubaneswar as several opposition parties observed a bandh in Odisha. Shops remained shut and traffic was disrupted in many areas, including Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj. In Bhadrak, markets were closed and public transport was affected. The bandh also caused long traffic jams on the Chennai-Kolkata Highway, where trucks and other vehicles were left stranded. Bus services were impacted in different parts of the state. The Congress party, along with other opposition groups, including the All India Forward Bloc, led the bandh. They blamed the state government for failing to respond to the student's repeated cries for help. Protesters demanded a proper investigation into the case and called for stronger measures to ensure the safety and justice for women in the state. On Tuesday, eight Opposition political parties, including the Congress, unitedly called for 'Odisha Bandh' on July 17 and demanding the resignation of the State Higher Education Minister and a judicial investigation. The 20-year-old student had allegedly faced prolonged sexual harassment by the Head of Department (HoD) at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore. Despite filing a formal complaint and seeking help from the college principal, her grievances reportedly went unheard, leading her to take the extreme step on campus last Saturday. She was initially admitted to the Balasore district hospital and later referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar, where she succumbed to her burn injuries on Monday, hospital authorities said. In connection with the case, Fakir Mohan College's HoD, Samira Kumar Sahu, and Principal, Dilip Ghose, have been arrested. (ANI)
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