Bhubaneswar: Tension prevailed outside the official residence of Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida on Saturday as Youth Congress workers staged a protest demanding justice for the minor girl who was set on fire in Balanga area of Nimapada constituency.
The demonstrators, led by Pradesh Youth Congress President Ranjit Patra, raised slogans including “Justice for Women,” “Stop Atrocities Against Women,” and “Pravati Parida Resign,” while staging a sit-in protest at the gates of the Deputy Chief Minister’s residence. Police later detained all the protesting Youth Congress members from the site.
Earlier in the day, a Youth Congress delegation visited AIIMS Bhubaneswar, where the minor victim is undergoing treatment with severe burn injuries. The girl, a resident of the Balanga police station area in Nimapada, was allegedly set on fire by unidentified miscreants.
Addressing the media, Ranjit Patra accused Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida of failing to ensure women’s safety in her own constituency. He criticised what he described as her “hollow speeches” on women’s empowerment, demanding that the state government extend ₹2 crore as compensation to the victim’s family and ensure immediate arrest and exemplary punishment for the perpetrators.
Congress Lok Sabha candidate for Bhubaneswar, Sayad Yasir Nawaz, also took aim at the BJP government, alleging that the ruling party had failed to uphold the promises it made to women voters. He said that while Pravati Parida often speaks about women’s safety in public forums, she has not yet visited the victim or her family at AIIMS. Nawaz urged women’s organizations and citizens across the state to raise their voices against what he termed the BJP government’s betrayal of women.
Several Youth Congress leaders and members, including Mohammad Imdad, Manoj Biswal, Nihar Behera, Mohammad Gulfam, Sudip Samal, Ranjit Senapati, Suraj Raut, Bubu Jena, Niazul Islam, and Aryan Sasmal participated in the protest.
The protest adds political heat to an already sensitive incident that has sparked widespread outrage and calls for justice across Odisha.
