"Converted as people's bandh of Odisha," says CPI(M)'s Suresh Panigrahi on Odisha bandh over Balasore student's self-immolation case

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], July 17 (ANI): Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Suresh Panigrahi on Thursday said that the Odisha bandh is no longer limited to eight political parties but has turned into a people's bandh across the state.
Workers of CPI(M), CPI(ML) Liberation, and other opposition parties staged protests in Bhubaneswar over the death of a student from Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, who died by self-immolation.

Speaking to ANI, Suresh Panigrahi said, "...Eight political parties have appealed to the people of Odisha and other left democratic forces, transport, teacher associations and the response is very good...The bandh is not confined to eight political parties; it has become a people's bandh of Odisha...The BJP is claiming that there is a double-engine government in the BJP, but many atrocities are being committed against women during their rule...The police are silent..."
Security forces were deployed, and petrol pumps remained closed in Bhubaneswar as several opposition parties observed an Odisha bandh.
Shops remained shut and traffic was disrupted in many areas, including Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj. In Bhadrak, markets were closed and public transport was affected. The bandh also caused long traffic jams on the Chennai-Kolkata Highway, where trucks and other vehicles were left stranded. Bus services were impacted in different parts of the state.
The Congress party, along with other opposition groups, including the All India Forward Bloc, led the bandh. They blamed the state government for failing to respond to the student's repeated cries for help.
Protesters demanded a proper investigation into the case and called for stronger measures to ensure the safety and justice for women in the state.
On Tuesday, eight Opposition political parties, including the Congress, unitedly called for 'Odisha Bandh' on July 17 and demanding the resignation of the State Higher Education Minister and a judicial investigation.
The 20-year-old student had allegedly faced prolonged sexual harassment by the Head of Department (HoD) at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore. Despite filing a formal complaint and seeking help from the college principal, her grievances reportedly went unheard, leading her to take the extreme step on campus last Saturday.
She was initially admitted to the Balasore district hospital and later referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar, where she succumbed to her burn injuries on Monday, hospital authorities said.
In connection with the case, Fakir Mohan College's HoD, Samira Kumar Sahu, and Principal, Dilip Ghose, have been arrested. (ANI)