Bhubaneswar: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi spoke to the father of Soumyashree Bisi, who tragically lost her life while fighting for justice after alleged harassment at FM Autonomous College in Odisha’s Balasore.
Rahul expressed profound empathy for the family’s ordeal, stating that he “felt the pain, dreams, and struggle of the girl in his voice.”
In his interaction, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha assured the father of the Congress Party’s unwavering support, pledging to be “with him at every step.” He condemned the incident as “not only inhuman and shameful, but a wound for the entire society.”
Soumyashree, a 20-year-old B.Ed student, had set herself ablaze on the college campus on July 12 alleging harassment by a faculty member and later succumbed to burn injuries while undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
The tragic incident, which has sparked widespread protests in Odisha, prompted the Congress leader to reach out to the grieving family.
“Spoke with the father of the brave daughter who lost her life in the fight for justice in Balasore, Odisha. In his voice, I felt his daughter’s pain, dreams, and struggle. Assured him that the Congress Party and I stand with them at every step. What happened is not only inhuman and shameful, but also a wound to the entire society. We will ensure in every way that the victim’s family receives full justice,” Rahul said in a post on X.
The Congress leader had earlier come down heavily on the BJP government in Odisha over the death of Soumyashree. The death of a daughter fighting for justice in Odisha is nothing less than a murder by the BJP’s system, Gandhi said in a statement.
“That brave student raised her voice against sexual harassment. But instead of justice, she was threatened, tormented, and repeatedly humiliated. Those who were supposed to protect her kept breaking her,” the Congress leader said.
“As always, the BJP’s system continued to shield the accused and forced an innocent daughter to set herself on fire. This is not suicide; it is an organised murder by the system,” he said.
Gandhi also questioned the ‘silence’ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over incidents of crime against women across the country.
“Modi ji, whether in Odisha or Manipur, the daughters of the nation are burning, breaking, and dying. And you remain silent. The country doesn’t need your silence; it needs answers. India’s daughters need safety and justice,” he added.
Meanwhile, Congress has called for a statewide bandh in Odisha on July 17 to protest the alleged harassment of Soumyashree and her tragic death.
