BHUBANESWAR: Politics over Kunduli gangrape victim’s suicide gathered momentum in the State with two major Opposition parties calling for bandh on Wednesday. While BJP called for Koraput bandh, the Congress gave a dawn-to-dusk Odisha bandh call.
Intensifying its agitation against the State Government for its failure to provide justice to the Kunduli gangrape victim, the BJP was the first to call for bandh in undivided Koraput district. Congress which has been leading the agitation in Koraput immediately declared a state-wide bandh.
Holding the state government responsible for the suicide of the minor girl at her Musaguda home in Koraput on Monday, state BJP general secretary Bhrigu Buxipatra asked the state government to hand over the case to CBI for a fair and impartial probe.
The announcements came a day after the victim, a Class IX student of Sarispadar village in Koraput, allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself in her home.
Accusing the Congress of helping ruling BJD in the matter, Buxipatra said had the girl been allowed to stay in the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack where she was undergoing treatment, she would have been alive.
However, Congress at the behest of BJD pressurised the administration for the girl's shifting to her village. Fearing that truth on the nature of the victim's death will come out after post-mortem, Buxipatra alleged the Congress and the BJD are not allowing for the same.
Meanwhile, BJP staged protests across the State over the matter. In Bhubaneswar, police resorted to lathicharge when BJP activists tried to breach security cordon at Sishu Bhawan Square on their way to the CM's residence to protest against Kunduli incident. Several policemen and BJP activists were injured in stone pelting and subsequent lathicharge.
Near the Station Square, the BJP activists also broke police cordon while some women activists of Congress also tried to get close to Naveen Niwas before police intercepted and cleared them.