Student’s Death Triggers Political Firestorm in Odisha: BJD Seeks CM Majhi’s Ouster, Congress Calls Statewide Bandh on July 17
By Nalini Sahu
Bhubaneswar, July 15:The tragic death of a 20-year-old student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore has plunged Odisha into political turmoil, with opposition parties intensifying their attack on the BJP-led state government. The student, who had accused a faculty member of harassment and attempted self-immolation outside the principal’s office on July 12, succumbed to her burn injuries late Monday night at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
In the wake of the incident, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) launched a scathing attack on the government, holding Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan “morally responsible” for the institutional failures that allegedly pushed the student to take the extreme step. The party demanded their immediate resignations, along with those of top education officials.
At a press conference on Tuesday, senior BJD MLA Byomkesh Ray accused the government of being a “silent spectator” as the student cried out for help.
“She reached out to the Chief Minister, the Union Education Minister, the Higher Education Department, and even her local BJP MP. No one responded. They failed her — in life and in death. They must step down,” Ray asserted.
The BJD announced statewide protests and a public outreach campaign to galvanize support for institutional reforms and demand accountability at the highest levels.
The Congress, too, stepped up pressure, calling for a statewide bandh on July 17, appealing to citizens to support a complete shutdown in protest against what it called “official apathy and failure of governance.”
In a sharp counterattack, BJP youth wing state president Abhilash Panda accused the BJD of politicising a human tragedy.
“Where was the BJD when the girl was alive and pleading for justice? Their sudden outrage is nothing but political posturing to harvest electoral gains from a young woman’s death,” Panda said.
He defended the government’s response, citing the immediate arrest of the accused faculty member, Sameer Ranjan Sahoo, and the suspension and arrest of Principal Dillip Ghosh. A high-level inquiry has also been initiated.
“The government acted swiftly, in accordance with law, and remains committed to delivering justice,” Panda added.
With emotions raw and political tempers high, Odisha is headed into a tense period of agitation and counter-agitation. While opposition parties prepare to take to the streets, the BJP-led administration is under mounting pressure to address the institutional lapses that culminated in a young student’s death.
