Bandh Over FM Student Death Brings Districts to Standstill

NORMAL life came to a standstill across districts of Odisha on Thursday as the Congress and Left parties observed a 12-hour statewide bandh demanding justice for the 20-year-old girl student of FM Autonomous College in Balasore who died of self-immolation over alleged sexual harassment by a teacher.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

Public transport services were suspended across the state with hundreds of buses staying off the roads. While the bandh caused inconvenience to the public, no major incidents of violence were reported.

In Balasore, the epicenter of the protest, shops, educational institutions, government offices, banks and fuel stations remained shut from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Congress workers picketed at FM Golei and Station Bazaar squares while blocking traffic on NH-16 at Remuna and other key points.

In Mayurbhanj, commuters remained stranded at Baripada bus terminal. Congress workers staged protests in Baripada, Karanjia, Udala and Rairangpur with Bhanja Sena also joining the agitation.