Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], July 16 : Odisha Congress President Bhakta Charan Das on Wednesday strongly condemned the handling of the Balasore student self-immolation case, saying that if action is not taken by early tomorrow, then this movement will take another shape.
"We are waiting till tomorrow's closure. After that, we will increase the movement very hard...This is not going to calm down here. Action should be taken by early tomorrow; otherwise, the day after tomorrow, this movement will take another shape," Das told ANI.
Das later said that the girl had been fighting for justice for six months, and her attempts were but no one listened.
He further said, "All the associates of the Odisha Congress Committee and the seven opposition parties... have called for this bandh. Today, Rahul Gandhi has talked with the father of the victim and showed concern...It is a very heart-wrenching incident...The girl went to the MLA, MP, and the education minister... but no one listened to her. FIR was not lodged. Rahul Gandhi is saying that this is a systematic murder and not a suicide. She was asking for justice for the past six months, but no one listened..."
Hitting out at the BJP, Congress President said, "On one hand, they talk about Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, and on the other hand, they remain silent when a daughter of their own party takes such an extreme step. This hypocrisy is unacceptable."
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.
On Monday, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar confirmed the death of the student in Odisha's Balasore.