🔥 Odisha Explodes in Rage: Bandh Erupts After Girl Student's Tragic Self‑Immolation 😡

CPI National
Jul 18
2 min read

TL;DR: Odisha went into a state-wide bandh on July 17, 2025, after a 20‑year‑old Balasore college student tragically died from self‑immolation. Her desperate cry for justice over alleged prolonged #sexualharassment was ignored by the HOD, principal, police, BJP leaders—and the system failed her. Opposition parties across the state—including Congress, BJD, and Left—organized protests, road and rail blockades, and clashed with police demanding a judicial inquiry and resignations. The collective voice is loud: Odisha will not forgive BJP’s apathy. 🚨

🛑 What Actually Happened?

On July 12, the student doused herself in gasoline and set herself on fire at the Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore, after repeated pleas about harassment by her #HOD went unanswered by college authorities and police.
She endured nearly 60 hours of agony before passing away at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on July 14.
The principal and the accused professor were arrested; the CM announced ₹20 lakh relief for the family; a UGC fact‑finding team was formed.

📢 The Bandh: Odisha Stands Still

From 6 AM to 2 PM on July 17, shops shut, roads and railways blocked, and public transport halted statewide.
Essential services like healthcare and pharmacies remained open amid disruptions.
In Bhubaneswar and Balasore, roads were deserted as agitators set up pickets and blockades along major routes.

🤜 Opposition Rising

Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, slammed the BJP-run government, calling it “institutional betrayal” and a “murder by the system”.
The Biju Janata Dal and its workers clashed with police using tear gas and water cannons while demanding a judicial probe.
A total of eight opposition parties—including CPI, CPI(M), Forward Bloc—joined the protest, urging the Education Minister and local BJP leaders to resign.

😢 Human Toll

Apart from anger and disruption, a three‑year‑old child lost his life after an ambulance couldn’t reach him due to bandh-related blockage in Dhenkanal.
In her native village in Balasore, locals wept as she was brought home; one mourner reflected:
“She spoke up when many would have stayed silent.”

📰 What Odisha is Demanding

Judicial inquiry via a sitting High Court judge
Resignations of Odisha’s Higher Education Minister Suraj Suryabanshi and local BJP MP/MLA
Transparent investigation and stringent action so no daughter ever feels helpless

💔 CPI Speaks (from the People’s Perspective)

This tragedy is not just Odisha’s pain—it’s a mirror showing systemic failure. A girl’s cry was drowned by power. The bandh is the voice of every working‑class parent, student, and citizen demanding justice, safety, and accountability. Not political posts, but real answers. Not relief cheques, but confidence that daughters can trust police, colleges, and leaders.

🔥 Over to You:

What changes do you want to see first—judicial probe, resignations, campus policies? Drop your thoughts in the comments and keep the flame of justice burning 🔥