Bhubaneswar, Jul 22 (PTI) Hours after the Orissa High Court slammed the opposition parties for inconveniencing the people by observing a bandh over the self-immolation death of a female college student, the ruling BJP on Tuesday asked the BJD and the Congress to apologise.
The BJP government has always given priority to the safety of women, the party’s spokesperson Anil Biswal said at a press conference here.
The second-year Integrated B.Ed student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore set herself ablaze on July 12, shortly after coming out of the principal’s chamber, alleging inaction over her complaint against the professor.
The 20-year-old student who suffered 95 per cent burns died in AIIMS Bhubaneswar on the night of July 14.
“The Orissa High Court has expressed satisfaction with the investigation of the Crime Branch of the state police in the Balasore incident. The court was hearing a PIL seeking an SIT and judicial investigation. The high court has realised that the state government has done the right thing in this incident,” Biswal told a press conference.
The BJP leader said the high court has also issued notices to both the BJD and the Congress about the way they allegedly harassed the common people by observing the Odisha bandh.
“The BJD and the Congress, which are playing politics over this incident, should now apologise”, said Biswal.
Asserting that the BJP government has always given priority to the safety of women, he said that the administration has adopted a zero-tolerance policy on violence against women.
“Hundreds of such cases against women were reported during the tenure of the BJD and the Congress, but the police did not register cases. These parties are shedding crocodile tears. Both (BJD and Congress) have leaders who are accused of violence against women,” the BJP spokesperson said.
He said the people at large should be given an answer as to why the common man was harassed by observing a forced shutdown when the government had already arrested the culprits and the investigation was going on properly.
“According to media reports, the state suffered a loss of Rs 1,500 crore due to the shutdown of the Congress party for that one day. Now, after the observations of the high court, the entire Odisha people have understood the evil intentions of these two parties,” Biswal claimed.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Harish Tandon issued notices to BJD and Congress, saying the July 17 bandh called by the parties to protest the incident affected normal life.
The bench took exception to attempts by political parties and organisations to politicise the incident, giving bandh calls, road blockades, and picketing before government offices and hospitals, which have disrupted public life in violation of binding directions issued by the Supreme Court of India. PTI AAM NN
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