Student's death: Normal life partially hit as Cong, other parties observe bandh across Odisha
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Normal life was partially affected in Odisha on Thursday as opposition Congress and seven other political parties enforced a 12-hour bandh across the state over the death of a college student who set herself on fire after being denied justice in an alleged sexual harassment incident.
Roads in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and other parts of the state wore a deserted look with a few vehicles plying, and train services have been affected in some places like Jatni, Puri and Bhadrak stations as activists of the opposition parties started demonstrations since 6 am in support of the bandh.
Markets, schools and business establishments remained closed.
The protesters staged blockades on several arterial roads in the state capital, raised slogans against the BJP government and demanded justice for the deceased college girl in Balasore.
Leaders of the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), CPIM (ML), Forward Bloc, RJD, SP and NCP hit the streets, holding their party flags to enforce the bandh.
“We have been telling people to support the bandh as there is no safety for women in Odisha since the BJP formed the government in the state. As many as 15 women and girls are raped every day in the state, and the government has completely failed to check such incidents,” Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rama Chandra Kadam alleged.
However, essential services, such as the movement of ambulances, medical facilities, medicine stores and milk parlours, have been exempted from the purview of the bandh.
The opposition parties have already requested the authorities of markets, transport, educational institutions, offices and banks to support the shutdown call.
“The bandh is being observed peacefully across the state, including the capital city of Bhubaneswar, and the public is requested to cooperate,” OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das said, adding that picketings are underway on national highways and railway stations.
Odisha’s Petroleum Dealers’ Association has closed all its fuel outlets from 6 am to 6 pm on Thursday as a precautionary measure.
“We are sorry for the inconvenience,” said Sasanka Shekhar Sahu, the president of the association.
The state government has tightened security across Odisha in view of the bandh.
The home department has directed all district collectors and SPs to remain on high alert in view of the road blockades, picketings, agitations, and also cautioned them against violence during the 12-hour bandh.
The government has instructed its employees to come to their offices before time.
The police in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and other major cities have made extensive security measures to ensure public order, an officer said.
High-resolution AI-enabled cameras and drones have been deployed at key points, markets, and government buildings to monitor the situation, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh said.
“The situation is being closely monitored through a central command setup,” the officer added.
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'Go back to your own country': Indian-origin taxi driver attacked in Dublin
London, Aug 5 (PTI): An Indian-origin taxi driver based in Ireland for over 23 years has become the latest to be targeted in an unprovoked attack in the capital Dublin, with local police (Gardai) launching an investigation into the violent assault.
Lakhvir Singh, in his 40s, told local media that he picked up two young men in their 20s on Friday night and dropped them at Poppintree, in the Ballymun suburb of Dublin.
Upon arriving at the destination, the men are said to have opened the vehicle door and struck him twice on the head with a bottle. As the suspects fled, they reportedly shouted: "Go back to your own country".
"In 10 years I've never seen anything like this happen," Singh told ‘Dublin Live’.
"I'm really scared now and I'm off the road at the moment. It will be very hard to go back. My children are really scared," he said.
A Dublin police spokesperson said Singh was taken to the city's Beaumont Hospital with injuries determined as not life-threatening.
"Gardaí are investigating an assault reported to have occurred in Poppintree, Ballymun, Dublin 11 at approximately 11:45 pm on Friday, 1st August 2025. A man, aged in his 40s, was brought to Beaumont Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injury. Investigations are ongoing," the spokesperson said.
The incident followed an Indian Embassy advisory, also issued on Friday, expressing safety concerns following recent attacks in and around the capital Dublin and urging Indian citizens to take safety precautions.
"There has been an increase in the instances of physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland recently,” states the advisory.
“The embassy is in touch with the authorities concerned in Ireland in this regard. At the same time, all Indian citizens in Ireland are advised to take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially at odd hours," the statement reads, adding emergency embassy contact details as 0899423734 and cons.dublin@mea.gov.in.
It came in the wake of a brutal attack on a 40-year-old Indian man at Parkhill Road in the Tallaght suburb of Dublin on July 19, described as “mindless, racist violence” by locals.
The Gardai had opened an investigation into the case and Indian Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra was among those who took to social media to express shock over the attack.
“Regarding the recent incident of physical attack on an Indian national that happened in Tallaght, Dublin, the embassy is in touch with the victim and his family. All the requisite assistance is being offered. The embassy is also in touch with the relevant Irish authorities in this regard,” the embassy said in a social media post days after the incident.
A Stand Against Racism protest was also held by the local community in condemnation of what was described as a "vicious racist attack" and to express solidarity with migrants.
Last week, Dr Santosh Yadav took to LinkedIn to post details of a “brutal, unprovoked racist attack”.
The entrepreneur and AI expert stressed that it was not an isolated incident and called for “concrete measures” from the governments of Ireland and India to ensure Indians feel safe to walk the streets of Dublin.
His post revealed that a group of six teenagers attacked him from behind as he walked to his apartment in Dublin.
“This is not an isolated incident. Racist attacks on Indian men and other minorities are surging across Dublin — on buses, in housing estates, and on public streets. Yet, the government is silent. There is no action being taken against these perpetrators. They run free and are emboldened to attack again,” reads Yadav's post.
Fine Gael party Councillor for Tallaght South, Baby Pereppadan, was among those who expressed concern following last month’s attack.
“People need to understand that many Indian people moving to Ireland are here on work permits, to study and work in the healthcare sector or in IT and so on, providing critical skills,” he said.
Another violent anti-Indian attack in Ireland
— Journalist V (@OnTheNewsBeat) August 5, 2025
Taxi driver Lakhvir Singh was attacked with glass bottles while doing his job pic.twitter.com/mtkwhLWISx
