TV
Odisha Minister Krushnachandra Patra on Tuesday slammed the Opposition BJD and the Congress while accusing them of politicising the tragic death of the student of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College.
He alleged that the Congress and the BJD are ‘unnecessarily politicising the death of her, instead of acknowledging the swift action taken by the present government’.
Tragic Death and Background
The student of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore, succumbed to her injuries on July 14 at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, two days after she set herself on fire on campus.
She had earlier accused the college’s Head of Department of Education, Sameer Ranjan Sahoo, of sexual harassment, but reportedly faced threats and mental harassment to withdraw her complaint.
Minister Compares Current And Past Responses
He criticised the Opposition for comparing the current case with past incidents during the previous government’s 24-year rule.
"BJD was in power for 24 years. At that time, no immediate action used to be taken. In Bebina and Kunduli incidents, they did not take any action. The BJP government is taking immediate action. In this case, action was taken within 12 hours. Opposition is doing cheap politics unnecessarily," said Patra.
Questions Raised On BJD’s Accountability
He further questioned the accountability of BJD leaders. "In BJD’s 24-year government, how many people resigned… Did Dibya Shankar Mishra or Pratap Jena resign?" Patra asked, asserting that such swift measures had never been taken by the previous governments.
Government’s Assurance Of Justice
"Whoever is guilty will be punished. There is no restriction on coming to the streets. The Mohan Majhi government will not tolerate crime," he added.
Justification Of Government’s Swift Action
Defending the BJP government’s handling of the matter, Patra said, "Unnecessarily doing politics over this matter is not right. In my opinion, the party that ruled for 24 years did not take immediate action in cases like Bebina and Kunduli, and the accused roamed free. But the current BJP ruling government is taking swift action after receiving reports of any criminal activity. Just within 12 hours, the HoD and the Principal were arrested."
