Naveen Condemns Use of Force by State Govt to Sabotage BJD’s Peaceful Protest over FM College Tragedy

Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik has fiercely criticized the BJP-led Odisha government for using police force to sabotage the BJD’s peaceful protest demanding justice for a 20-year-old student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore, who died from burn injuries after allegedly setting herself on fire due to harassment by her Head of Department (HoD).

Condemning the government’s action, the BJD President said, “The right to democratic protest is under grave threat in Odisha. Today, the BJD exercised its constitutional right to hold a peaceful demonstration, protesting the tragic death of a 20-year-old girl student–a victim of systemic apathy and sheer betrayal”.

He further said, “As BJD leaders marched in a disciplined manner towards Lok Seva Bhawan, the police unhesitatingly used water cannons to disperse the peaceful crowd. Shockingly, they even fired rubber bullets without any provocation”.

Naveen has strongly condemned the heavy-handed tactics employed by the police and the Government to sabotage the BJD’s peaceful march. The police acted in a blatantly partisan manner, rushing to fire rubber bullets when there was absolutely no justification for such excessive force, he said.

Highlighting the brutality, LoP Naveen said, “Just a few days ago, a senior IPS officer was caught on camera near the Chief Minister’s residence instructing his force to break the legs of protesters and promising awards to those who achieved this feat. Today, the legs of two ex Ministers have been broken, probably needing surgery. Other senior leaders of BJD, a lady Rajya Sabha member, and several party workers have been brutally hit by the police. Clearly, the Government owes an explanation for this kind of a direction”.

The BJD will continue its relentless fight undeterred, until justice is served for the FM College girl student who lost her life tragically. Neither water cannons nor rubber bullets can weaken our resolve, he asserted.

“Let it be clear: no force can stifle our commitment to stand up for justice and uphold the democratic rights of the people of Odisha”, Naveen said.