Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Congress on Tuesday announced a statewide ‘bandh’ on July 17 to protest the alleged sexual harassment and subsequent death of Soumyashree Bisi, a 20-year-old B.Ed. student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore.
Soumyashree had attempted self-immolation on July 12 inside the college campus, reportedly over inaction on her complaint against the Head of the Department (HoD) Samir Kumar Sahu. She succumbed to over 90-95% burn injuries late Monday night at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das, addressing a press meet, said the bandh is being supported by eight parties, including the Left and NCP. He blamed the state government for failing to protect women and students, alleging that bystanders did not intervene even as Soumyashree poured petrol on herself.
“The ruling party ignored the incident because she belonged to ABVP. This is not suicide; this is murder,” Das said.
Soumyashree had earlier staged a sit-in outside the college seeking action against Sahu. Following her death, Sahadevkhunta Police arrested Sahu under Sections 108 (abetment to suicide) and 75(1)(iii) (sexual harassment) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. On Monday, the college principal Dilip Ghosh—who had been suspended earlier—was also arrested in connection with the case.
Shops, educational institutions, and markets are likely to remain shut across the state during the bandh.
