Cuttack: Odisha Congress Friday staged a dharna near the office of the Director General of Police (DGP) demanding justice for the three women who died after being set on fire either by themselves or allegedly by miscreants in the past three weeks.
Led by the state Congress president Bhakta Charan Das, hundreds of party activists marched from Mata Math in Bhubaneswar to the DGP’s office and sat on a dharna for four hours.
Three women have died of burn injuries in Odisha since July 12, sparking outrage.
A 20-year-old female student of FM College in Balasore immolated herself on the college campus on July 12, and died two days later. She had accused a faculty member of sexual harassment.
A 15-year-old girl from Balanga area of Puri district also died of burn injuries on August 2. Her mother claimed she was set on fire by three unidentified men, but police asserted no other person was involved in the incident.
In Kendrapara, a 19-year-old college student, allegedly a victim of blackmail by her ex-boyfriend, set herself on fire and died in her house on August 6.
The Congress had served an ultimatum to the Odisha Police to arrest the three miscreants who allegedly set the Balanga girl afire within a week.
“As the police failed to arrest the three people in the Balanga minor girl burning case within one week, we are forced to sit on a dharna near the DGP office,” said Das.
In a memorandum to the DGP, the Congress claimed that the police did not register the FIR of the Kendrapara woman seven days before her death.
Similarly, the party said, the police could not take any action against anyone in the case of the Balanga girl.
Referring to the Kendrapara incident, the Congress said that though the victim, along with her parents, had gone to the police station six months ago and made a complaint against her ex-boyfriend who allegedly blackmailed her, the police did not register any case.
The Congress alleged in all three cases, the women died due to negligence or inaction of the police.
“We urge upon the Odisha police to rise to the occasion and take action in order to prevent other such women from ending their lives,” Das said, adding that the DGP was also requested to register “Zero FIR” as suggested by the Chief Minister.
Zero FIR is a First Information Report that can be filed at any police station, regardless of where the crime occurred. The police will then transfer it to the appropriate police station.
The Congress also announced that the party would soon launch a weeklong agitation and hold demonstrations before all the police stations across the state, demanding justice for the victims.
In view of the Congress agitation, there was heavy police deployment in Cuttack to maintain law and order.
‘The dharna and march were peaceful,” said Cuttack DCP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo.
PTI
