BJD Student & Youth Wings to Launch Statewide Agitation from Aug 1 over Rising Crimes against Women in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is set to escalate its protest against the deteriorating law and order situation in Odisha, with its student and youth wings launching a second phase of statewide agitation from August 1.

The focus of the movement is the alarming rise in crimes against women and girl students under the BJP-led state government.

Addressing a press conference at Sankha Bhawan, BJD youth MLAs Byomkesh Ray and Devi Ranjan Tripathy lambasted the BJP government for what they called “complete administrative failure” in ensuring safety and security across the state.

The BJD leaders announced that the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) and Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD) will spearhead the agitation over the surge in heinous crimes including rape, harassment, and institutional negligence since the BJP assumed power 13 months ago.

“From beaches to campuses, there is no safe space left for women and students in Odisha,” said MLA Byomkesh Ray, citing incidents such as the gang rape of a girl at Gopalpur beach, the self-immolation of a second-year B.Ed. student in Balasore, and the shocking case of a minor girl being set on fire in Balanga.

He further expressed concern over reports of minor girls becoming pregnant while residing in government-run student hostels, calling it a damning indictment of the state’s failure to protect its most vulnerable.

In response to the government’s inaction, the student and youth wings had earlier organized mass college strikes and demonstrations across the state — including gherao of all three Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) offices and a protest march in Balasore.

Building on that momentum, the second phase of agitation will begin August 1 and continue till August 7, during which student and youth activists will submit memoranda at all local police stations and to Superintendents of Police (SPs), addressed to the Director General (DG) of Police. The memoranda will demand urgent intervention to restore law and order and protect students and women.

Following this, from August 8 to 14, students across Odisha will participate in a massive letter campaign, sending lakhs of open letters to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who also holds the Home portfolio, urging him to take immediate and effective measures to address the crisis, the BJD said.