Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s opposition BJD and ruling BJP Thursday traded barbs over the 20-year-old college student’s death by self-immolation over alleged sexual harassment by a teacher.
While the saffron party accused the opposition of disturbing the deceased’s family, the BJD alleged that the authorities did not do anything when the student was running from pillar to post with her complaint.
The second-year B.Ed student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore died at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar Monday night. She had set herself on fire on the college campus on July 12 over inaction against a professor who allegedly sexually harassed her.
While the state was mourning the death of the student, “Congress leaders from Delhi” are unnecessarily creating disturbances in Odisha, Bhubaneswar MP and BJP’s national spokesperson Aparajita Sarangi told a press conference.
She was referring to Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba and the party’s Odisha–in-charge Ajay Kumar Lallu.
Sarangi also targeted the Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik, the BJD president.
“Respected Naveen Patnaik Ji is shedding crocodile tears over the death of the female student. There have been many such incidents during the 24 years of the BJD government from 2000 to 2024,” the Bhubaneswar MP said.
The BJP leader’s barb at Patnaik was countered by BJD’s vice-president Snehangini Chhuria and former MP Rajashree Mallick.
“Sarangi is making such a statement to hide the inefficiency of the BJP government and blaming Naveen Patnaik. The BJD government under Patnaik’s leadership played a leading role in raising the dignity of women in the state and providing justice to women,” Mallick said.
As a woman leader, the focus of Sarangi, a two-time MP, should be on how the victim student would get justice, Mallick said.
The people of Odisha have blessed Naveen Patnaik five times, the BJD leader said, wondering what success Sarangi achieved.
“How many times did Patnaik visit any victim in hospitals, as many women were harassed and hospitalised during his tenure. Our CM has visited the Balasore college student twice at AIIMS and monitored her health condition,” Sarangi said.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi also offered to airlift the student for better treatment, and he spoke to her family members, she said and asked, “Has Patnaik taken any such step as CM?”
Sarangi listed the steps taken by the state’s BJP government after the student set herself ablaze.
The state government suspended and arrested accused teacher Samira Kumar Sahoo and the college principal Dillip Ghose, she said.
Apart, Sarangi said, the health minister and the higher education minister stayed in touch with the family of the victim and she was treated in consultation with AIIMS-Delhi.
Sarangi said President Droupadi Murmu also visited the student in the burn ward.
Referring to a complaint lodged by the victim’s brother, Sarangi alleged that the family is feeling unsafe due to BJD and Congress leaders and workers.
“He has complained that they are being troubled by them (BJD and Cong people). They should not fear, the CM is standing by the family and also all women of the state,” she said.
BJD leaders Chhuria and Mallick lashed out at Aparajita.
“Sarangi is playing cheap politics on the death of a sister. The BJP is in power and it is free to take action against the people who are disturbing the victim’s family. Sarangi is making such comments only for political gain. Don’t distort fact by blaming others. Why didn’t the police register a case after accepting the victim’s complaint? Which leader of the ruling party put pressure on the police at that time also needs to be investigated,” Chhuria said.
She asked when the victim was going door to door for justice, was the government sleeping?
“Apart from complaining to the college authorities, the victim sought the intervention of the local MP, MLA, the higher education minister and the chief minister. Though she had said that she would die by suicide if justice was not given, no one took action on her complaint,” Chhuria said.
PTI
