"Right to protest under grave threat in Odisha": Naveen Patnaik slams police action on BJD workers

Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) [India], July 16 (ANI): Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday strongly criticised the state government and police over the alleged use of force against BJD workers protesting in connection with the Balasore self-immolation case.
Police used water cannons to disperse the protesting BJD workers. They also detained the BJD workers who were protesting over the Balasore student's death by self-immolation.
Condemning the police's action on BJD workers, Patnaik said that the right to peaceful democratic protest is under "grave threat" in Odisha.
In a social media post on X, Patnaik wrote, "The right to democratic protest is under grave threat in #Odisha. Today, the @bjd_odisha exercised its constitutional right to hold a peaceful demonstration, protesting the tragic death of a 20-year-old girl student--a victim of systemic apathy and sheer betrayal."
Odisha/status/1945424685677625718" rel="noopener" target="_blank">https://x.com/Naveen_Odisha/status/1945424685677625718
Patnaik further alleged that rubber bullets were used on protesters without provocation as they marched towards Lok Seva Bhawan.
"As BJD leaders marched in a disciplined manner towards Lok Seva Bhawan, the police unhesitatingly used water cannons to disperse the peaceful crowd. Shockingly, they even fired rubber bullets without any provocation," the social media post read.
Calling the police action "blatantly partisan," the BJD chief said the force resorted to excessive tactics with no justification.
"I strongly condemn the heavy-handed tactics employed by the police and the Government to sabotage the BJD's peaceful march. The police acted in a blatantly partisan manner, rushing to fire rubber bullets when there was absolutely no justification for such excessive force," he said.
Former Odisha Chief Minister claimed that several BJD workers have been badly injured in the police's "brutal" action, and two of them need surgery.
The post states, "Just a few days ago, a senior IPS officer was caught on camera near the Chief Minister's residence instructing his force to break the legs of protesters and promising awards to those who achieved this feat. Today, the legs of two ex-ministers have been broken, probably needing surgery. Other senior leaders of BJD, a lady Rajya Sabha member, and several party workers have been brutally hit by the police. Clearly, the Government owes an explanation for this kind of direction."
Emphasising that the BJD will continue to fight for justice for the student, Patnaik asserted that neither water cannons nor rubber bullets can weaken their resolve.
He stated, "The BJD will continue its relentless fight undeterred, until justice is served for the FM College girl student who lost her life tragically. Neither water cannons nor rubber bullets can weaken our resolve. Let it be clear: no force can stifle our commitment to stand up for justice and uphold the democratic rights of the people of #Odisha."
Earlier in the day, Odisha's main opposition party, Biju Janata Dal, took to the streets, calling for 'Balasore Bandh' in protest against the Odisha government after a 20-year-old girl self-immolated because of alleged sexual harassment by her teacher.
The BJD workers burnt tyres on the roads in Balasore, expressing anger over the "inaction" of the government that led the girl to self-immolate herself in protest against the sexual harassment.
The 20-year-old student set herself on fire after allegedly facing prolonged sexual harassment by her college's Head of Department. Despite lodging a formal complaint and seeking help from the principal, her pleas were ignored, leading to the tragic incident. The incident occurred at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College. (ANI)