BJD Rajya Sabha members on Tuesday staged a protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Parliament premises in Delhi, demanding justice for women who have been raped, assaulted and tortured in Odisha since the BJP government led by Mohan Charan Majhi assumed power.

The party also announced that its student and youth wings would hold a statewide agitation from August 1 to 14 in two phases to protest the rising crimes against women.

“We held a demonstration in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue, voicing our deep anguish and demanding immediate intervention from the Centre,” said BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra. “The situation in Odisha has spiraled into a crisis. Women and children are living under constant fear. The law and order machinery has virtually collapsed under the newly installed BJP government.”

He cited recent cases, including that of a young girl in Puri who was doused in petrol and set ablaze by criminals. The victim is currently undergoing treatment at AIIMS, Delhi. “We have been demanding a judicial inquiry. The Odisha BJP government, led by Mohan Majhi, is sleeping. We hope our cries for justice are heard in Parliament, by the Centre, and by the Government of India. The double-engine government must
ensure justice for the affected women and children,” he added.

Patra also referred to the incident at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore, where a second-year BEd student and ABVP worker died by suicide after alleging sexual harassment by her teacher. She succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar. The state crime branch is still investigating the case and is yet to identify those who allegedly instigated her and helped procure petrol.

Addressing a press conference at the party office, BJD MLA Byomkesh Ray said: “Girls are not safe — neither in colleges nor on beaches. Daughters are getting pregnant on school campuses. Odisha’s reputation has been tarnished by incidents like the Gopalpur gang rape, the Balasore FM College suicide and the Balanga attack. We have already raised these issues and staged protests, but the state government is still in a deep slumber.”

Ray said the first phase of the agitation would run from August 1 to 7. During this period, party workers will submit memoranda to police station in-charges and Superintendents of police, highlighting the surge in crimes against women. In the second phase, students will write and post letters to chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, urging action on the issue.