Bhubaneswar: Leader of the Opposition and BJD President Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Odisha Government, condemning what he called an “unprovoked and brutal” police crackdown on a peaceful protest march led by BJD leaders and workers.
The demonstration was held to demand justice for Soumyashree Bisi, the 20-year-old FM College student who died after a self-immolation attempt, allegedly due to institutional inaction over harassment complaints.
Patnaik, in a strongly worded statement on X, accused the police of using excessive force to stifle the party’s constitutional right to protest.
“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,” he wrote.
He further claimed that two former Ministers had suffered leg fractures, likely requiring surgery, and that a woman Rajya Sabha MP and other party members were “brutally hit” by police personnel.
Patnaik also referred to a recent video showing a senior IPS officer allegedly instructing his force to “break the legs of protesters” and rewarding such action — a direction he said was now haunting the government. “Clearly, the Government owes an explanation for this kind of a direction,” Patnaik said.
Declaring that the BJD’s fight for justice for Soumyashree would remain “relentless,” Patnaik asserted, “Neither water cannons nor rubber bullets can weaken our resolve… No force can stifle our commitment to stand up for justice and uphold the democratic rights of the people of Odisha.”
Meanwhile, in a counter-statement, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan appealed to the Opposition to refrain from politicising the incident. Without naming anyone, he alleged that some political leaders had mocked Soumyashree while she was alive and were now using her death to score political points.
“Raising demands for justice after her death seems opportunistic,” he said.
Harichandan reiterated that the state government had taken prompt action, including the suspension and arrest of two FM College employees -the HOD of the Education department and the Principal.
He maintained that a comprehensive investigation was underway and that “even those indirectly involved will come under the purview of the probe.”
The minister also announced that campus monitoring committees across the state will be reconstituted to ensure better student safety and welfare, a step he said underscores the government’s commitment to preventing such tragedies in the future.
As the political heat intensifies in Odisha over the incident, questions of accountability, student safety, and the right to democratic protest remain at the centre of public discourse.
