With the death of Mahakalpada rape and burn victim Sujata Bairagi, Opposition political parties and various women’s outfits took to streets on Friday sending the police administration into a tizzy.
Security was beefed up at almost all major junctions and sensitive locations in the city including at Naveen Niwas and official residence of Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Damodar Rout to avoid any untoward incident.
Demanding resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for his alleged inefficiency in providing safety and security to the women fraternity in the State, members of the Bhubaneswar lok Sabha Youth Congress unit sat on a dharna at the Master Canteen square.
They slammed Patnaik for his failure to check crimes against women. The activists too burnt the effigies of the CM and the Health Minister alleging that Sujata died due to utter negligence in treatment.
Similarly, BJP youth activists demonstrated at the Mahatma Gandhi Marg here alleging that the State Government failed on all fronts, particularly in the matter of safety and security to women. In the evening, the activists held a candle rally in the city and paid homage to the deceased Dalit girl.
CPI Bhubaneswar zonal committee activists too staged a demonstration at the Rajmahal Square demanding Rs 20 lakh compensation to the victim’s family and stringent action against the culprits. Shouting anti-Government slogans and holding placards in hand, hundreds of women activists of All India Mahila Sanskrutik Sangathan (AIMSS) State unit protested the tragic death of Sujata and decried Government’s apathy on increasing crimes against women. They urged the Government to ensure justice to the victim’s family members, besides pay them Rs 20 lakh as compensation.
However, Utkal Bharat youth wing protested in a different way here at the busy Master Canteen Square. Paying floral tribute to the victim’s photograph, the activists sat silently expressing their solidarity with the victim and her family members.
Hundreds of students under the banner of Democratic Youth Federation and Student Federation too took out a rally in front of the Assembly and demanded zero tolerance to crimes against women.
Notably, soon after the rape victim’s death on Thursday mid night, angry protesters had gone berserk and damaged and torched vehicles including an ambulance parked on the premises of the Capital Hospital. Besides, they had torched two buses and one truck in the city’s busy area in early morning prompting the Commissionerate Police to deploy around 20 platoons of force to prevent any eventuality.
“We are keeping a strict vigil on the situation. 20 platoons of police forces were deployed at sensitive points to avoid any untoward incidents,” said twin city Commissioner Sunil Roy.