Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MPs staged a protest at the Gandhi statue in Parliament on Tuesday, decrying the alleged deteriorating law and order situation in BJP-ruled Odisha, particularly the surge in crimes against women and children.
Carrying placards that read ‘Mahilaon ki cheekh aur sarkar ki khamoshi’ (the cries of women and the silence of the government) and ‘Odisha BJP ka shaasan, apradhiyo ki shaan’ (BJP’s rule in Odisha, a pride for criminals), the members demanded immediate central intervention and a judicial inquiry into the recent “horrific” incidents.
Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra said, “Women and children in Odisha today are completely unprotected. The law and order situation is collapsing.” Citing the incident involving a student of FM College in Balasore, who died after self-immolating when her pleas for justice went unheard, Patra said, “She approached everyone, including the chief minister, but got no justice.” “And now in Puri, another young girl was doused in petrol by miscreants and is battling for life at AIIMS Delhi,” he told PTI Videos.
He accused the BJP-led Odisha government of being a “complete failure” and calling its stance on the issues “convenient and full of double standards.” Patra said the BJD demands a judicial inquiry into both incidents and “strict action against the miscreants.” BJD MP Muzibulla Khan had similar concerns. He said the BJP raised the slogan of “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” to come to power, but it is “failing to protect our daughters”.
Subhasish Khuntia, another BJD MP, said crimes against women and students are continuing “unabated” under the “double engine government” in Odisha.
“There is no safety for women under the BJP rule,” he said.
