Bhubaneswar: Several leaders of opposition parties, including Congress in-charge for Odisha Ajay Kumar Lallu, were detained by the police in Bhubaneswar during the statewide shutdown called by them.
Congress, along with seven other political parties, observed a statewide dawn-to-dusk bandh to protest the death of a 20-year-old female student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College by self-immolation due to alleged sexual harassment by a professor and subsequent institutional neglect.
During the bandh, a large number of Congress workers staged demonstration and picketing at several locations in the state capital.
Several protesters entered into a clash with police personnel while trying to gherao the residence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. As the demonstrators attempted to breach the security barricade, many of them were taken into custody as a preventive measure, police said.
Ajay Kumar accused the BJP government in Odisha of trying to deny justice to the college student. Alleging that the government was using force to stop protests, he stated that the Congress is not afraid of police action and would continue to fight for justice,
“The State government does not want to give justice to the victim and has resorted to use of force. We will not be intimidated and will continue to raise our voice against the state government, the senior Congress leader said, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
In Cuttack, Congress protesters staged a demonstration near the state police headquarters. Several of them were detained while trying to break the barricade to proceed further, while demanding the resignation of the DGP, accusing the police of failing to protect women in the state.
While seeking to enforce the bandh, Congress workers blocked railway tracks in many places as part of the protest against the BJP-ruled state government. Transport services were hit and shops remained shut in Bhubaneswar on Thursday as several opposition parties observed the bandh.
Security forces were deployed, and petrol pumps remained closed in Odisha’s capital city as several opposition parties observed the state bandh.
Senior Congress leaders said that people from all walks of life—businessmen, unions, petrol pump workers—have extended their support to the bandh. “People are taking to the streets in rage and despair. The girl pleaded for help for over a week, from MLAs, MPs, college authorities to the CM’s office—yet no one responded. This is not suicide; it is institutional murder,” claimed a leader.
The fight will continue until Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign, he added.
The Commissionerate Police said the 12-hour bandh, called by the Congress and other parties remained largely peaceful in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The protest was held peacefully in both the cities with no reports of untoward incidents. Demonstrations and picketing were carried out and there was no report of violence, said Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh.
“While some commuters experienced inconvenience on National Highways due to the bandh, the police extended assistance at various locations to ease movement. All activities were closely monitored using CCTV cameras, drones, and AI-based surveillance systems. The situation was continuously reviewed from Police Bhawan, with special attention given to VIP movement, law and order, and traffic regulation under the supervision of the DCP,” he said.
The police helpline, issued earlier for public assistance during the bandh, received eight calls. A total of 48 protestors were detained during the course of demonstrations in Twin City, he added.
The shutdown was called demanding justice for Soumyashree Bisi, who set herself on fire on July 12 alleging harassment by her HoD and college authorities for past six months. She sustained over 90 per cent burns and breathed her last on Monday night while undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
