The Congress demanded the formation of a house committee to address atrocities against women and introduce effective laws. However, tensions flared as barricades were broken, and stones, eggs, and tomatoes were reportedly hurled. Both sides sustained injuries, with Congress alleging police brutality and the police citing attacks from protesters.
The protest highlighted the ongoing struggle for women’s safety and the challenges of maintaining public order during political demonstrations.
The area in front of the Legislative Assembly had turned into a battlefield due to a Congress meeting. As soon as the meeting concluded, tensions escalated between the police and Congress workers. Eggs and tomatoes were thrown at those throwing stones.
In retaliation, the police responded with a severe lathi charge and used water cannons to disperse the crowd. When the Congress workers did not back down, the police resorted to using tear gas. Eventually, the police chased and beat the Congress workers.
The Congress party had demanded that an assembly house committee be formed to prevent atrocities against women in the state, investigate all incidents, and propose an effective law based on the committee’s recommendations. After a 15-day uproar in the assembly over this demand, Congress took to the streets on Thursday.
Earlier, the assembly had called for a sit-in by Congress members after the Speaker suspended 12 Congress MLAs for seven days on Tuesday and two more on Wednesday. On Thursday, thousands of Congress workers traveled to Bhubaneswar from various parts of the state to participate.
Due to the inability of Congress workers to reach Bhubaneswar, the police halted their vehicles in various locations and detained the workers at the police station. Prior to the meeting’s commencement, senior Congress leader Manas Choudhury was also apprehended by the police and held at the Chandaka police station.
In the morning, Congress workers and activists from various regions of the country marched in a procession from Ram Mandir Chowk to the Lower PMG meeting hall. The procession was led by PCC President Bhakta Charan Das, Odisha in-charge Ajay Kumar Lallu, senior leaders Sarat Patnaik, Jaydev Jena, MLA Ram Chandra Kadam, MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati, Ramesh Jena, and Sophia Firdous.
The protest, titled ‘Nari Nyaya Paain Vidhan Sabha Gherao’ and focused on addressing women’s atrocities, was conducted peacefully with the procession. The stage for the meeting was entirely dedicated to women, with only female leaders seated there, while all other leaders, including the PCC president, occupied seats below the stage.
The protest took place from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. During this time, some Congress workers broke through a police barricade behind the stage and moved forward. Before they could breach the next barricade, police intervened and prevented them from advancing further.
A contingent of Congress workers was stationed at Lower PMG alongside the police. Tensions escalated when the police charged the crowd with lathis to disperse them. As the situation intensified, the police became aggressive, particularly after being attacked. Water cannons were also deployed to disperse the crowd.
The area turned into a battleground due to the confrontation between the police and Congress workers. In some instances, tomatoes and eggs were thrown. When Congress workers refused to leave, the police resorted to using tear gas. Consequently, many Congress workers sustained injuries; some suffered head injuries, while others had broken arms or legs. Several women activists were also victims of police violence. This confrontation lasted approximately an hour.
During the altercation, the police arrested the PCC president, senior MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati, in-charge Ajay Kumar Lallu, and other leaders at the scene. Following the police lathi charge and the use of water cannons, the Lower PMG meeting place eventually quieted down. Congress workers alleged that the police initiated the violence against them.
According to the police, Congress workers were prevented from breaching barricades and throwing stones. However, Congress workers insisted that they did not attack the police, asserting that they were targeted with lathi charges instead.
PCC President Bhakta Das stated that the police assaulted Congress workers who were gathering peacefully. More than 20 Congress workers were injured. On the other hand, the Bhubaneswar DCP reported that 12 policemen were injured when Congress workers threw stones and chairs.
The gathering included former Union Minister Srikant Jena, former PCC president Prasad Harichandan, former Minister Jayaram Pangi, Koraput Congress President Meenakshi Bahinipati, Koraput MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, MLA Ashok Das, former MP Rama Chandra Khuntia, former Minister Suresh Routray, Panchanan Kanungo, MLA Pabitra Saunta, Sagar Das, Satyajit Gamang, Nilamadhab Hikka, Kadraka Apalaswamy, Prafulla Pradhan, C.S. Razeen Ekka, and Dasarathi Gamang, who took the lead in the event.
**Nyaya Satyagraha in every district – PCC President Bhakta Das**
A Nyaya Satyagraha will be held in every district following the Congress’s assembly round-up program on Thursday. PCC President Bhakta Das has issued this call, stating that the Congress will organize a peaceful satyagraha in all districts to demand justice for women.
**Government Deploys Police Out of Fear – Tara**
Senior Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati has stated that the government is intimidated by the Congress meeting. This fear, he claims, is why police were deployed and why they violently attacked Congress workers and activists in an inhumane manner. While Congress members were peacefully circling the assembly, the police responded with violence, resulting in serious injuries to many Congress workers.
**BJP’s Character is Anti-Women – Lallu**
Congress in-charge Ajay Kumar Lallu has declared that the character of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is fundamentally anti-women. He emphasized that they will confront the criminals who abuse women, asserting that the BJP consistently aligns itself with rapists.
Lallu noted that more than 64,000 women are missing and not receiving justice. He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of supporting these criminals. The Congress party, he affirmed, will persist in its fight to deliver justice for women and will not back down from this important struggle.
