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New Indian Express
24-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
OPCC President Bhakta dares BJD to bring no-trust motion
BHUBANESWAR: OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das on Wednesday dared the Biju Janata Dal to bring a no-confidence motion against the state government in the next session of the Assembly on the issue of growing crimes against women in Odisha. Addressing a media conference here, Das said if the BJD claims to be fighting against the government over atrocities against women, it should bring the no-confidence motion since it has the numbers. 'The Congress will support the BJD on this issue,' he added. The OPCC president further added that if the BJD does not, the Congress will bring the motion. The BJD should support the Congress motion if the regional party really wants removal of the government, he added. The BJD is yet to react to the proposal. Das came down heavily on the government for not forming the OSCW in the last one year. 'This shows the sincerity of the government in ensuring a safe environment for women in the state,' he added. He said that Congress will observe the Shraddha Divas of the 20-year-old student of FM College on Thursday. All universities and colleges have been requested to observe one minute silence. Bhakta also launched the Nari Nyaya Bahini app to assist women seeking justice. Women can share their problems on this app and Congress will investigate their cases to fight for justice.
Hans India
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Cong to launch app for women in distress
Bhubaneswar: The Opposition Congress in Odisha has decided to open a dedicated women's cell and launch a mobile application to help women and girls in distress. The party took the decision at its Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting held on Friday. It was resolved in the PAC meeting that the life of the 20-year-old student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore could have been saved had any of the persons she had alerted through social media messages reacted. The deceased woman, on July 1, days before resorting to self-immolation on July 12, had taken to X and tagged CMOOdisha, DHEOdisha, NCWIndia, and Union ministers, warning: 'They won't let me live in peace.' Her tweet went unanswered. The deceased student had also taken up the sexual harassment issue with the local MLA, MP, college authorities and the police. But, all remained silent till she set herself on fire, the Congress resolution said, adding that instead of getting help to fight injustice, she became a victim of humiliation. Even the students of her own integrated BEd Department did not come to her rescue, her close friends have alleged. In view of this situation, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has decided to open a grievance cell at its State headquarters and launch a mobile application to come to the rescue of women, like the FM College student, in distress, PCC president Bhakta Charan Das said. While thanking the people of Odisha for a successful Statewide bandh on July 17, Das said the INDIA bloc parties, comprising the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) Liberation, All India Forward Bloc, RJD, SP, NCP and RJD, would jointly observe 'Shraddhanjali Divas' across the State on July 24, coinciding with the 11th day death ritual of the deceased woman.
News18
19-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Odisha Congress to open grievance cell, launch mobile app for women in distress
Bhubaneswar, Jul 19 (PTI) The opposition Congress in Odisha has decided to open a dedicated women's cell and launch a mobile application to help women and girls in distress. The party took the decision at its Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting held on Friday. It was resolved in the PAC meeting that the life of the 20-year-old student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore could have been saved had any of the persons she had alerted through social media messages reacted. The deceased woman, on July 1, days before resorting to self-immolation on July 12, had taken to X and tagged CMO_Odisha, DHE_Odisha, NCWIndia, and Union ministers, warning: 'They won't let me live in peace." Her tweet went unanswered. The deceased student had also taken up the sexual harassment issue with the local MLA, MP, college authorities and the police. But, all remained silent till she set herself on fire, the Congress resolution said, adding that instead of getting help to fight injustice, she became a victim of humiliation. Even the students of her own integrated BEd Department did not come to her rescue, her close friends have alleged. In view of this situation, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has decided to open a grievance cell at its state headquarters and launch a mobile application to come to the rescue of women, like the FM college student, in distress, PCC president Bhakta Charan Das said. While thanking the people of Odisha for a successful statewide bandh on July 17, Das said the INDIA bloc parties, comprising the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) Liberation, All India Forward Bloc, RJD, SP, NCP and RJD, would jointly observe 'Shraddhanjali Divas' across the state on July 24, coinciding with the 11th day death ritual of the deceased woman. She had set herself ablaze on July 12 and suffered 95 per cent burn injuries. She died on the night of July 14. Mahila Congress members, along with the women's wings of other like-minded parties, will observe the day at different places, including universities and colleges, by holding silent prayers. Silence will be observed for two minutes in memory of all young women who have recently lost their lives to murders or suicides, Das said. The Congress has also decided to organise mega rallies at six major places in the state over women's atrocities, floods and social justice. The party demanded a judicial inquiry into the Balasore student death case. PTI AAM AAM ACD view comments First Published: July 19, 2025, 12:45 IST 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.
The Hindu
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Normal life hit in Odisha amid bandh over student's death
Normal life was partially affected in Odisha on Thursday following a 12-hour Statewide bandh called by the Opposition Congress and seven other political parties over the death of a college student, who set herself on fire last week after her repeated complaints of sexual harassment by a teacher were allegedly ignored. Members of the Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist), All India Forward Bloc, Nationalist Congress Party, Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal took to the streets alleging that the student was forced to take the extreme step as her complaints went unheard. The second-year Integrated BEd student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, Balasore, had suffered 95% burn injuries and died on Monday night after battling for life for around 60 hours. Educational institutes, commercial establishments, including banks and offices, remained shut during the day due to the dawn-to-dusk bandh call given by the political parties. The impact of bandh was visible in major cities such as Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Balasore, and Bhadrak. Trains and long-distance buses were stopped at several places, leading to long delays and inconvenience for commuters. At some places protesters blocked the roads by burning tyres and parked their vehicles in order to stop vehicular movement. Vehicles associated with essential services, including ambulances, were allowed free passage. 'We express our gratitude to the people of Odisha for cooperating with the peaceful bandh. We are fighting for a bigger cause as Odisha is witnessing increasing incidents of violence against women. If we don't raise our voice now, the situation will worsen further,' said Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Bhakta Charan Das. 'We have demanded the resignation of the Higher Education Minister[Suryabanshi Suraj], the Balasore MP [Pratap Chandra Sarangi], and the Balasore Sadar MLA [Manas Dutta]. The unprecedented public support for today's bandh clearly indicates that the Mohan Majhi government has lost the moral right to govern,' said Suresh Panigrahi, CPI (M) State secretary. Meanwhile, an assistant professor of a government university was arrested in Sambalpur for allegedly sexually exploiting a 20-year-old student, the police said. On the basis of a complaint lodged by the woman, the Sambalpur Mahila Police Station registered a case and arrested the accused, said an officer. Further investigation is under way, the officer said. The accused has been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days by a court here, another official said. (With inputs from PTI) (Those in distress may contact Sanjivini, Society for Mental Health suicide prevention helpline: 011-40769002.)
Indian Express
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Bandh over Balasore student's death grinds Odisha to a standstill
Normal life was disrupted across Odisha on Thursday as a 12-hour dawn-to-dusk bandh called by the Congress and its allies brought much of the state to a standstill. The bandh was called to demand justice for a Balasore college student who died after setting herself on fire after authorities allegedly ignored her complaints of sexual harassment by a professor. Vehicle movement on several highways and major towns came to a grinding halt as Congress workers and other protesters hit the streets. Commuters also faced difficulty in travelling to and from railway stations and airports. Some railway services were also affected as rail roko agitations were also staged at multiple stations across Odisha. Business establishments were also shut across the state, and thin attendance was recorded at educational institutions and government offices due to restrictions on the movement of vehicles. In Bhubaneswar, the police detained several Congress leaders, including AICC Odisha in-charge Ajay Kumar Lallu, PCC president Bhakta Charan Das and others as they tried to breach security barricades and march towards the Lok Seva Bhawan. 'Our fight will continue till justice is done in the case. We will intensify the protest across the state. The government has been using the police force, but we will not be intimidated. The Chief Minister has to resign or take action against his minister, MP, MLA, and the Balasore SP,' said the PCC president. The party had earlier appealed to people from all sections to support the statewide bandh call to pressure the government to take action and fix responsibility. To deal with the bandh, the state government asked district magistrates and superintendents of police (SPs) to take preventive and precautionary measures to maintain law and order and to alert against any untoward incident. Police personnel were deployed in large numbers across Odisha, especially in major towns. The police also deployed high-resolution AI cameras and drones at strategic locations. Bhubaneswar police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh said there were no reports of violence during the bandh in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The ruling BJP criticised the Congress, accusing it of politicising the issue of the college student's death. Bhubaneswar MP and BJP national spokesperson Aparajita Sarangi said the Congress and BJD have no moral right to protest on the issue. 'The Congress should see how it has treated women in Odisha during its rule. We are all aware of the incidents of crime against women during the rule of the BJD. As far as the BJP is concerned, we respect women a lot,' said Sarangi at a press conference.
