A delegation from Biju Mahila Janata Dal (BJD), led by former Speaker Pramila Mallick, met President Droupadi Murmu at Raj Bhavan to demand urgent intervention in the escalating violence against women in Odisha.
The BJD cited disturbing incidents, including a Balasore student’s self-immolation attempt and a gang rape at Gopalpur beach, to underscore the state’s deteriorating safety for women, particularly tribal and Dalit communities.
In Balasore, a third-year B.Ed. student at Fakir Mohan Autonomous College attempted suicide on July 12 after enduring six months of mental torture and sexual harassment by an assistant professor. Despite complaints to the college, police, and public appeals to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Union Education Minister, no action was taken, leaving the student fighting for her life at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. The accused professor was arrested, and the principal suspended, but BJD chief Naveen Patnaik demanded further accountability.
On June 15, a college student was gang-raped by 10 assailants at Gopalpur beach during Raja Sankranti, tarnishing Odisha’s image. Berhampur police arrested all suspects, but the incident fueled outrage. The BJD also highlighted the gang rape and murder of a 17-year-old tribal girl in Keonjhar and rising atrocities against marginalised women, with 28,000 cases of violence against women reported in the past year. Odisha’s conviction rate for such crimes, at 5.59%, is the lowest nationally, worsened by vacant posts in the State Women’s Commission and Child Protection Commission.
The delegation, former Minister Snehangini Chhuria and Rajya Sabha MP Sulata Deo, urged the President to address these systemic failures.
