The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee on Tuesday announced a statewide bandh on July 17 in protest over the death of a 20-year-old Balasore student, who self-immolated after allegedly facing prolonged sexual harassment and institutional apathy.
Odisha Congress President Bhakta Charan Das demanded the resignation of the State Education Minister, as well as the local MLA and MP, holding them morally responsible for the tragic incident.
“Our demand is that the Education Minister, the MLA, and the MP—all three must resign. Their party should also expel them. We have called for a statewide bandh on July 17 and appeal to all sections of society to support it,” Das told ANI.
The student, who studied at Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore, died late Monday night after battling for over 60 hours in the ICU at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. She had reportedly tried to seek help from several authorities, including the college principal, local MLA, MP, and state government officials, but received no substantial support.
“She went everywhere—from the college principal to the MLA, MP, even filed an FIR. Yet, she received no justice. Had even one of them acted, perhaps this tragedy could have been prevented. The state government failed in its duty,” Das said.
Earlier, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi also weighed in, blaming the BJP’s system for the student’s death and calling it an “organised murder.”
“This is not suicide—it is a murder by the system. A brave student raised her voice against harassment, but was harassed, threatened, and silenced instead. Modi ji, whether it is Odisha or Manipur, daughters of India are crying for justice while you remain silent,” Gandhi posted on X.
The student had accused her college’s Head of Department of sexual harassment, and despite filing a formal complaint, no action was reportedly taken. Her repeated appeals were ignored, eventually driving her to take the extreme step.
The incident has sparked widespread political outrage and protests across the state, as calls for justice and accountability continue to grow.
