Bhubaneswar, December 2: The main opposition party, Biju Janata Dal (BJD), has on Tuesday accused the BJP-led state government of neglecting students from tribal and Dalit communities residing in government hostels in Odisha.

At a press conference held at Sankha Bhawan, the BJD's state headquarters, party leaders alleged that six students living in hostels in Nabarangpur district have tragically died in the past three months due to medical negligence. The BJD has blamed the state government for these fatalities.

Pradeep Majhi, Senior General Secretary of the BJD and former Member of Parliament, highlighted the case of a seventh-grade tribal student who was severely injured when a pressure cooker exploded in the hostel. Majhi stated that the student was denied medical attention for nine days before he intervened. After becoming aware of the incident, Majhi personally took action, rescuing the injured student and ensuring that the district administration provided the necessary medical treatment.

Majhi further criticized the BJP government for failing to deliver effective governance in Odisha, pointing out that inefficiency is evident across multiple sectors.

He expressed disappointment, "The situation is deeply troubling. Students in these hostels are suffering from gross mismanagement, and even when they fall ill, there is no timely medical care, and ambulances are often unavailable to take them to hospitals," Majhi said.

"In the past three months, six tribal students have died due to lack of proper medical care. In some cases, critically ill students were transported to hospitals in auto-rickshaws, with three of them passing away en route."

Describing the pressure cooker incident as shocking, Majhi noted that authorities deliberately avoided hospitalizing the injured student for fear of tarnishing the government's image.

The BJD leaders are calling for an immediate investigation into the allegations and for the state government to address the mismanagement and neglect in tribal student hostels.