Bhubaneswar, July 16: A high-voltage political drama unfolded at Lower PMG Square in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday after the BJD workers clashed with the police during their protest march to ‘gherao’ the Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar.
The conch party is protesting the death of 20-year-old B.Ed. student of Fakir Mohan (FM) Autonomous College in Odisha’s Balasore, Soumyashree Bisi, who attempted self-immolation over alleged sexual harassment and later succumbed to burn injuries at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
As the protesters made their way towards the Lok Seva Bhawan, they broke through the barricades set up on Lower PMG Road. This led to a fierce scuffle between the police and BJD workers.
To control the situation and disperse the protesters, the police resorted to using tear gas and water cannons. Several BJD leaders and workers were subsequently detained.
#WATCH | #Bhubaneswar | Police detain the BJD workers who are protesting over the Balasore student's death by self-immolation.
— Prameya English (@PrameyaEnglish) July 16, 2025
Biju Janata Dal is also observing a Balasore bandh in protest over a Balasore student's death by self-immolation.
(ANI)#FMCollegeStudentDeath pic.twitter.com/flS5QVGw0i
BJD leaders Pritiranjan Gharai, Sulata Deo, and Pranab Prakash Das are said to have sustained injuries during the incident.
"The state government pushed Soumyashree to take the extreme step of self-immolation. This is the first time we are gheraoing the State Secretariat. We warn the government that our protest will only grow stronger in the coming days. Our fight will continue until the government resigns and a judicial inquiry is ordered into this matter," said senior BJD leader Sanjay Kumar Das Burma before being detained by the police at the scene.
The party also observed an eight-hour bandh today (6 AM to 2 PM) in Balasore district to protest the alleged harassment of the student.
Party workers staged road blockades at various locations in the district, burning tyres and disrupting vehicular movement. Shops, businesses, and educational institutions remained closed in response to the bandh. However, emergency services were exempted from the purview of the shutdown.
The conch party is demanding a judicial inquiry into the matter by a sitting High Court judge. It has also called for the resignation of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, holding them morally responsible for the tragic incident.
On the other hand, the Odisha Congress has called for a statewide ‘bandh’ on July 17 to protest the death of the student.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President Bhakta Charan Das stated that the bandh is supported by eight parties, including Left parties and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Earlier today, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi spoke to the father of victim and assured him that the Congress party and he would stand by the family at every step.
He promised that, under all circumstances, they would ensure the victim's family receives complete justice.
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 dead at 11:46 PM on July 14.
