
Protests, Politics Erupt In Odisha After Student Who Self-Immolated Over Harassment Dies
The Opposition parties, including the Congress, on Tuesday unitedly called for 'Odisha Bandh' on July 17 over the death of a 20-year-old student from Balasore.
Amid the ongoing tensions in Odisha over the death of a 20-year-old female student from Balasore, the opposition parties, including the Congress, on Tuesday unitedly called for 'Odisha Bandh' on July 17. The parties have also demanded the resignation of the State Higher Education Minister and a judicial investigation in connection to the case.
'Joint opposition has resolved that Odisha will be closed on July 17," CPI(M) leader Suresh Panigrahi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The CPI(M) leader attacked the state government and state that the victim appealed to the Odisha government, the local MP and MLA, Principal, District Collector, SP and the Higher Education Minister of state and centre, but nothing happened.
'We demand a strict judicial investigation of the whole incident, the Higher Education Minister should resign, and some action should be taken against the local MLA and MP," he added.
The 20-year-old student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Odisha's Balasore, who had attempted self-immolation, died on Monday, confirmed the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar.
The 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 the tragic incident.
Opposition Attacks Odisha Govt
Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday called the death the student an 'organised murder by the BJP's system" and accusing the BJP-led state government of failing to protect the victim.
Rahul Gandhi alleged that the student was subjected to repeated threats, torments and humiliation instead of receiving justice.
Taking to X, the Congress leader wrote, 'The death of a daughter fighting for justice in Odisha is nothing less than a murder by the BJP's system. That brave student raised her voice against sexual harassment, but instead of delivering justice, she was threatened, tormented, and repeatedly humiliated. Those who were supposed to protect her kept breaking her."
'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. Modi ji, whether in Odisha or Manipur, the daughters of the nation are burning, breaking, and dying. And you? You remain silent. The country doesn't need your silence; it needs answers. India's daughters need safety and justice," the post added.
Earlier in the day, the Congress workers staged a protest outside AIIMS Bhubaneswar following the death of the student. Police later detained the protesting workers.
(With agency inputs)
view comments
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Mint
11 minutes ago
- Mint
India steps up global push for rare earth security amid China curbs
With China enforcing stringent controls on rare earth magnet exports, India has intensified its global outreach to safeguard the critical mineral supply chains, the government told Parliament on Wednesday. The government has initiated bilateral talks with Brazil and the Dominican Republic, and has also deepened engagement with multilateral platforms to build cooperation around rare earth elements and critical mineral security, Jitendra Singh, minister of state (independent charge) for science and technology, and the department of atomic energy, said. Apart from other portfolios, Singh also holds charge of the ministry of earth sciences. The union ministry of mines is engaged in these inter-governmental talks to sign memorandums of understanding, while the ministry of external affairs has tapped into relevant stakeholders to alleviate challenges arising from China's stranglehold over rare earth magnets, the minister's statement said. Rare earth magnets, essential to sectors like defence, electronics, clean mobility and renewable energy, have become a focal point of global strategic competition, with China holding a dominant position in their processing and trade. India has exported 18 tonnes of rare earth minerals over the last decade, the minister's written reply to Parliament said. It said India has approximately 7.23 million tonnes of rare earth oxides, which are processed to make magnets used in key strategic sectors such as defence, electronics, renewable energy, and clean mobility. "Additionally, Geological Survey of India (GSI) has augmented 482.6 Mt resources of REE (rare earth elements) ore at various cut-off grades in 34 exploration projects," the government said. It said the mines ministry has initiated talks with mineral-rich nations such as Australia, Argentina, Zambia, Peru, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Cote D'Ivoire as well as international organizations, such as the International Energy Agency (IEA). The ministry is also engaging with platforms such as the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), and the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET). India's engagement with multilateral platforms is largely dependent on the US. The MSP is a US-led alliance of 14 countries, including India, and was set up in 2022 to secure critical mineral supply chains by reducing dependence on any one particular country. The IPEF is a similar US-led alliance of 14 countries, focusing on collaborative policies on trade, supply chains, clean energy, and decarbonisation. The iCET is a bilateral agreement between India and the US for collaboration in technology, including artificial intelligence and semiconductors. "Critical minerals such as lithium, graphite, cobalt, titanium, rare earth elements, etc., are demand intensive due to their strategic uses in various sectors, viz., electric vehicles, renewable energy and defence," the government said. "In case of any further development in rare earth mineral exports to Japan, efforts shall be undertaken to mitigate the disruptions," the government statement said. India had suspended its rare earth mineral export to Japan after China halted export of magnets made of the same material, according to a Reuters report on 15 June, citing unnamed sources. Mint had reported on 7 July that Indian importers rushed to purchase permanent magnets, including rare earth magnets, at a premium from China, ahead of the export control order issued on 4 April.


India.com
11 minutes ago
- India.com
Next Vice President? Telangana CM Revanth Reddy Picks THIS OBC Leader From BJP
HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday accused the BJP of stalling 42 per cent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) by using Muslim community as an excuse. He alleged that the leaders of saffron party were playing politics of sentiment by stating that they would back 42 percent quota for BCs if Muslims are removed from the list of BCs. Addressing a press conference in Delhi, he clarified that Muslims are being extended the benefits of reservation on the basis of their backwardness. He dared BJP to scrap reservation for Muslims in the states ruled by it or its allies. He asked why the BJP was not scrapping Muslim quota in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. He alleged that BJP is adopting double standards on the issue of Muslim reservation and trying to derive political mileage by whipping up passions. 'You can't have one justice for Telangana and another justice for other states,' he remarked. He warned that if BJP oppose Backward Class reservation, the party will be wiped out from Telangana. Revanth Reddy along with some state ministers and Congress leaders arrived in the national capital to mobilise support of various parties for including two state laws for 42 per cent Backward Class reservation in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution. The Chief Minister recalled that the state legislature passed two Bills for 42 per cent quota for BCs in education, employment and public life and sent the same to the Centre for including in the 9th Schedule. Revanth Reddy also pointed out that the local body elections have to be conducted in the state by September as per the direction of the High Court. 'If 42 percent seats in local bodies are to be reserved for the BCs, the Centre will have to give its approval,' he said. The Chief Minister said there was no justification in the argument that total reservations should not cross 50 per cent. He claimed that the Centre crossed this limit long back with 10 per cent reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). The Chief Minister also demanded that a leader from Telangana should be made the Vice-President of India. Revanth Reddy said Bandaru Dattatreya, whose tenure as Haryana Governor has just ended, should be made Vice-President. He alleged that since Dattatreya is an OBC leader he was sidelined to make G. Kishan Reddy the union minister. He said similarly Bandi Sanjay was removed as state BJP president and a Brahmin was recently appointed as the state BJP chief.


The Hindu
11 minutes ago
- The Hindu
BJP calls for development of Tier-2, Tier-3 cities for equitable growth and control urban migration
BJP president N. Ramchander Rao on Wednesday has highlighted the need for development to the Tier-2 and Tier -3 cities of Telangana for ensuring equitable growth distribution. It is not enough for Hyderabad capital region alone to be developed as rest of Telangana too should be brought onto the growth path and urban migration can be controlled only when sufficient employment opportunities should be created in the rural areas, he observed. Giving an insight into the party's road map for growth and development of the State at an event organised by the Federation of Telangana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) here, the State president has pointed out that the Central government has laid lot of emphasis on promoting start ups as well as small, medium and micro level enterprises which provide more employment opportunities. A separate Skill Development Ministry has been formed yet the industry is looking for skilled manpower, averred the former MLC and wondered if any policy level changes were necessary to deal with it. There is no development in the corporate sector and despite the Opposition accusing Centre of being a 'suit boot sarkar', it has created an ennobling environment for firms to thrive, he claimed. The BJP-led government at the Centre has been aiding Telangana and Hyderabad in building the proposed Regional Ring Road (RRR) and also the circular rail network abutting it to provide better connectivity. Mr. Rao called upon the youth to ride on the entrepreneurship model making use of the new age technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Semi-Conductors and others so that they can turn to job givers than job seekers. The Modi government initiatives has led to direct benefit transfer of schemes with the opening of bank accounts to those sections untouched with the banking sector, he said and sought suggestions from the organisation for improving upon the ease of doing businesses rules. FTCCI president R. Ravikumar and others were present.