'Very Unfortunate,' Says Congress Leader Alka Lamba On Balasore Case, Urges People To Join Odisha Bandh

Bhubaneswar: Following the death of a woman student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore who had attempted self-immolation, All India Mahila Congress President Alka Lamba said the student took the extreme step because she was denied justice despite repeatedly writing to authorities.

Lamba said the student had written to many officials, including the college HOD, principal, chief minister, BJP MPs, and MLAs, but no one helped her.

Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Alka Lamba said, "It is very unfortunate; if that daughter had received justice, she would be alive today, but she did not get justice, which led her to take her own life... Rahul Gandhi rightly said that the entire system is responsible for this, because that daughter wrote letters to the HOD, the principal, the chief minister, BJP MPs, and MLAs. When the Prime Minister visited on the completion of one year of the state government, she even tried to meet him, but no one listened to her..."

#WATCH | Bhubaneswar, Odisha: On the Balasore student self-immolation case, all India Mahila Congress President Alka Lamba says, "It is very unfortunate; if that daughter had received justice, she would be alive today, but she did not get justice, which led her to take her own… pic.twitter.com/Vnng4LGbiU

— ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2025

She held the system accountable and supported Congress's call for an Odisha bandh on July 17, urging people to protest peacefully for the safety of women.

"Congress has called for an Odisha bandh on 17 July... I appeal to the people of Odisha to participate in it and raise their voices for the safety of mothers, sisters, and daughters, walking the Gandhian path of truth and non-violence," Lamba said.

In response to the incident, the Congress party has called for a statewide "bandh" today, demanding justice for the student.

Odisha State Congress President Bhakta Charan Das also demanded the resignation of the State Education Minister, local MLA and MP over the death of the Balasore student.

The 20-year-old student set herself on fire after allegedly facing prolonged sexual harassment by her college's Head of Department. Despite lodging a formal complaint and seeking help from the principal, her pleas were ignored, leading to the tragic incident. The incident occurred at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College.

On Monday, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar confirmed the death of the student.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

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