Bhubaneswar: The state capital witnessed a tense standoff between police and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) workers today as they attempted to gherao Lok Seva Bhawan in protest against the death of Soumyashree Bisi, a 20-year-old Fakir Mohan College student. Soumyashree had set herself ablaze on July 12, alleging inaction on her complaint of sexual and mental harassment by a professor, and succumbed to her injuries on July 14 at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
According to reports, as BJD workers tried to breach the security barricades to gherao the Lok Seva Bhawan, police resorted to teargas to disperse the crowd. More than 100 BJD workers, including women workers, have been detained in connection with the protest.
BJD leaders Pratiti Ranjan Ghadei and Bobby Das sustained injuries during the tense police-BJD workers confrontation as protesters attempted to gherao Lok Seva Bhawan, demanding justice for Soumyashree.
The BJD has been demanding a judicial probe into the incident, headed by a sitting High Court judge, and the resignation of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage, with Opposition parties like Congress and Left parties deciding to protest, demanding justice for Soumyashree.
