Bhubaneswar: The Statewide shutdown call by eight political parties led by Congress over the tragic death of a female student of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore crippled normal life across Odisha on Thursday. Hundreds of vehicles were seen stranded on National and State highways due to the shutdown in major cities of the State.

Business establishments, petrol pumps and educational institutions were also closed in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela and Balasore owing to the dawn-to-dusk ‘Odisha bandh’.

Senior leaders of the party, including Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das, AICC in-charge Ajay Lallu, along with party workers, resorted to picketing in Bhubaneswar and other major cities of the State. The Congress party claimed massive support from people for the shutdown which was observed by eight political parties across the State, demanding justice for the female student, who died on Monday following a self-immolation attempt on July 12 over alleged sexual harassment by a faculty member of the college.

Das alleged that women have repeatedly been facing various atrocities in Odisha during the last five months.

He further said over 20,000 women and children have gone missing and over 77 gang-rape incidents have occurred during the one year of the BJP rule. Das also mentioned the recent gang-rape of a woman student at Gopalpur beach in Ganjam district, alleging that such crimes are rising in the State.

Roads in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and other parts of the State wore a deserted look, while train services were affected in some places due to picketing on tracks. According to an ECoR official, some trains, which were detained early in the day, resumed operations after police cleared the protesters from the tracks. However, several trains ran late due to the demonstrations.

However, there was no adverse impact on the operations of essential services like ambulances, hospitals and milk parlours. Protesters staged blockades on several arterial roads in the State capital, raising slogans against the BJP government and demanding justice for the deceased college girl in Balasore.

In Dhenkanal, roads wore a deserted look as shopkeepers downed shutters while vehicles and public transports went off the roads. Police arrested 30 Congress workers while they were attempting to close down Sadar tehsil office.