Workers of the Odisha Pradesh Mahila Congress set fire to an effigy of agriculture minister Damodar Rout at Master Canteen Square in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

They were protesting against his alleged derogatory remarks against Congress spokesperson Sulochana Das during a television programme on Tuesday. The demonstrators accused Rout of not having respect for women and sought his dismissal from the government. Rout, however, denied the allegations and said he had only urged the participants to come prepared for debates.