BJD law maker likens Ramadevi students as ‘human bomb’!

Opp Cong, BJP pooh-pooh, students lodge complaint before OHRC

BHUBANESWAR: While the Odisha assembly witnessed uproarious scenes over the ‘locking’ of girl students of Ramadevi Women’s University during the visit of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, a BJD legislator on Saturday invited further embarrassment for the party by likening the detention of the girl students to ‘human bomb’.

Justifying the detention of the girls in their university, BJD MLA Priyadarshi Mishra made an irresponsible statement arguing that there might have been any ‘human bomb’ as had been the assassination case of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 at Tamil Nadu’s Perumbadur Congress election rally.

He said since Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik graced the function, the police have taken the appropriate precautionary measures and did not allow the girls without ID cards and uniform on the day.

On Thursday, the girls were locked up during the visit of the Chief Minister to inaugurate the state’s first Women’s University.

The opposition Congress and BJP, already demanding an apology from the Chief Minister over the issue and holding hostage to the assembly, swooped down upon the BJD for making caustic comments.

“It is unfortunate that the BJD MLA is trying to equate the girls with LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). It is condemnable,” said Congress MLA Naba Das.

BJP lawmaker Pradip Purohit said likening the girls with LTTE group is despicable.

PCC president Prasad Harichandan demanded to lodge criminal offence against the Chief Minister for infringing upon the human rights of the girl students.

Meanwhile, some students have moved the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) to lodge a complaint about the issue while women wing of Odisha BJP moved to the State Commission for Women (SCW). They demanded action against the involved persons for confining them.