On Monday, hundreds of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leaders and workers staged protests across Odisha, demanding a judicial inquiry into the self-immolation death of a 20-year-old student in Balasore. The demonstrations took place outside the offices of the revenue divisional commissioners in Cuttack, Berhampur, and Sambalpur, with protesters calling for a court-monitored investigation led by a sitting judge of the Orissa High Court.

The second-year integrated BEd student from Fakir Mohan College succumbed to 95 percent burn injuries on July 14 at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, two days after her self-immolation attempt on July 12. The incident has sparked widespread outrage. BJD senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra, who joined the protest in Cuttack, alleged that the student had sought help from several influential figures, including the Balasore MP and the Higher Education Minister, but received no assistance.

The BJD has rejected the ongoing crime branch inquiry, arguing it lacks impartiality. "A crime branch probe cannot ensure fairness when influential figures need to be interrogated," Mishra stated. The party submitted a memorandum to the Governor, asserting that only a judicial inquiry can address the systemic failures involving political, institutional, and administrative lapses. The memorandum described the incident as a case of criminal negligence, pointing to the failure of institutions meant to protect the student.

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Protest marches were organized from Sunshine Field to the RDC office in Cuttack, Gangadhar Mandap to the RDC office in Sambalpur, and Khalikote University Ground to the RDC office in Berhampur. In Cuttack, a brief clash occurred between demonstrators and security personnel as protesters attempted to enter the RDC office, though a select group of leaders was later allowed to submit the memorandum.

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