Odisha Congress calls for statewide ‘bandh’ on July 17 to protest FM College student’s death
Published By : Sourav Das
| July 15, 2025 12:02 PM
Bhubaneswar, July 15: Odisha Congress on Tuesday called for a statewide ‘bandh’ on July 17 to protest the death of 20-year-old B.Ed. student from Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore, who attempted self-immolation over alleged sexual harassment and succumbed to burn injuries at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
This was announced by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das at a press conference today.
He stated that the bandh is supported by eight parties, including Left parties and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
The shutdown call is being viewed as a unified protest against what they describe as the “failure of the state government” in safeguarding students and women.
Das alleged that the student was a victim of harassment and said despite knowing how distressed she was, people around her did nothing to stop her from taking such an extreme step.
“She brought petrol, and everyone just watched in silence. No one took action,” Das said, blaming the State Government for the situation.
He said, “The ruling party ignored the incident because the victim was from the ABVP. This is nothing short of murder. The student tried everything to get justice. She even managed to file an FIR, but still didn’t get justice. She went to the MLA for help, but he didn’t do anything. The MP also stayed silent. Wasn’t it their responsibility to act? If they had taken even the smallest action, this tragic outcome could have been prevented.”
The Congress has demanded the resignation of the state's Education Minister, the local MLA, and the MP, accusing them of failing the student and her family.
"In protest, we are calling for an Odisha bandh on July 17. We urge people from all walks of life to support it and speak out against this injustice," he said.
As part of the bandh, schools, colleges, shops, and markets are expected to remain closed on July 17.
Earlier today, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 20 lakh for the family of the female student
It is worth noting that the student attempted self-immolation on her college campus on July 12. She poured petrol and set herself on fire outside the principal's office, allegedly in protest of inaction on her sexual harassment complaint against the Head of the Department, Samir Kumar Sahu.
She sustained over 90 percent burn injuries and was initially rushed to Balasore Medical College before being transferred to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for advanced treatment.
Despite extensive medical interventions, including mechanical ventilation and renal replacement therapy, she was declared deceased at 11:46 PM on July 14.
Before taking the extreme step, the victim had staged a sit-in protest near the college, demanding action against Sahu. She was deeply frustrated by the administration's alleged inaction despite having filed a formal complaint.
Following the incident, Samir Kumar Sahu, the Head of Education Department, was arrested by Sahadevkhunta Police under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 108 (abetment of suicide) and Section 75(1)(iii) (sexual harassment).
On Monday, the college principal, Dilip Ghosh, who had been suspended earlier, was also arrested in connection with the case.
