Students of different colleges burn an effigy of MLA Prabhat Biswal in Cuttack on Monday. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Oct. 17: The agitation demanding the arrest of MLA Prabhat Biswal gathered more steam today with the participation of girl students of various colleges in the city. Biswal is allegedly involved in a case of attacking a student over the issue of college union elections held on September 29.

Today, nearly 50 girls from major colleges staged a demonstration and burnt an effigy of Biswal in front of Sailabala Women’s College. Students from Sailabala, Indira Gandhi and Emarti Devi women’s college took part in the agitation. They alleged that the attack had been carried out hours after the list of elected candidates for the college union posts was declared on September 29. There was a clash between two groups at the hostel of M.S. Law College, in which two inmates were injured.

Later, the house of Biju Chhatra Janata Dal vice-president Byomkesh Ray was ransacked and his family members were allegedly attacked by a group of students and outsiders. “We condemn the attack on Byomkesh Ray’s parents. We demand action against Prabhat Biswal,” said Rosalyn Mohapatra, a student.

Both Ray and his rival Girija Shankar Rout, also from the same party, had fielded presidential candidates at various colleges. There were differences between their supporters. After Ray’s candidate lost the presidential run at Ravenshaw University, his rival’s supporters decided to attack Ray’s supporters at the law college’s hostel.

Though an FIR was registered and a few students and outsiders were arrested, they were later released on bail. However, the students alleged that despite the MLA’s name being mentioned in the FIR, no action was taken against him.