Odisha Congress gheraoes DGP office over ‘law and order’; BJP responds

Odisha Congress staged a major protest on Friday by gheraoing the DGP office in Cuttack, alleging a total collapse of law and order in the State. The agitation was triggered by recent incidents at FM College and Puri’s Balanga village that sparked public outrage.

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According to sources, in a strong demonstration against the allegedly deteriorating ‘law and order situation’ in Odisha, the Congress party gheraoed DGP's office. The protest was fueled by the alleged mishandling of two recent burn incidents at FM College in Balasore and Bayabara (Balanga) village in Puri, which has led the party to take to the streets.

Led by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) chief Bhakta Charan Das, several senior Congress leaders participated in the gherao, raising slogans and demanding accountability from the State police administration.

Congress alleged that incidents like the one in Balanga locality are becoming increasingly common due to the State government’s failure to ensure public safety. They accused the administration of shielding culprits and suppressing voices seeking justice.

“As FIRs were not received in the two burn cases, the girls (victims) thought nobody was with them, and hence they would not get justice. The girls failed at last and decided to take such extreme steps. The duo died by fire,” Congress MLA Sofia Firdous said.

“For that, we have come to the DGP. Whatever FIRs are coming, they must be received by the police, cases registered on time, and a probe initiated. As a public servant, it is the duty of the DGP to serve people. Whenever a girl comes to the DGP, the cop must treat her as his mother, his sister, and his daughter,” Barabati-Cuttack MLA Firdous stated.

In response, Odisha BJP criticised the protest, saying that Congress has no real issue and is merely politicising irrelevant matters. “The Congress is making an issue out of a non-issue,” stated a BJP spokesperson, dismissing the protest as a desperate political stunt. “They have been opposing the government from day 1,” BJP MLA Ashok Mohanty remarked.

The burn incidents at FM College and Balanga, and the subsequent protests, have sparked fresh political clashes in the State, with both parties standing their ground.