On April 15, we will hold a statewide Congress torch relay procession at all block headquarters. |
Bhubaneswar: The opposition Congress party has alleged that around 60,000 women and children have gone missing in Odisha in recent times. In response, the party has announced a series of statewide protests, starting with massive ‘Mashaal’ (torchlight) rallies across all 314 blocks on April 15, a day after Ambedkar Jayanti.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das told reporters that the party has consistently advocated for women’s safety within the Assembly and on the ground. “We will continue our fight until the government takes concrete steps to ensure the safety of women and children,” Das stated.
In addition to the April 15 rallies, district-level protests are scheduled for April 21. These will include padayatras, public meetings, and demonstrations outside collector offices. Alongside the issue of missing women and children, these protests will also highlight local concerns such as drinking water shortages, alleged mining scams, and farmers’ grievances.
Aiming both the ruling BJP and the BJD government led by Naveen Patnaik, Das accused them of remaining silent on the issue. “Their silence suggests complicity,” he remarked.
Das also criticized the state government’s failure to establish a House Committee to investigate the missing person’s cases. “The Chief Minister claims this isn’t a specific issue warranting a House panel. But at the very least, a ministerial committee or Special Investigation Team (SIT) of senior police officers should have been formed,” he said.
As a symbolic act of protest, Das urged women across the state to display brooms whenever government ministers visit their localities, a gesture meant to signal discontent with the government’s inaction.