Long queues of trucks and other vehicles have been reported on the Kolkata-Chennai National Highway in Odisha's Balasore district since the early hours of Wednesday, July 16. A truck driver told the news agency ANI that he and his vehicle had been stranded since 6 am due to a strike by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
"I was going from Paradip to Kolkata. The traffic has been stopped due to a strike by BJD...Many trucks have been stranded here since 6 am today. We don't know when the vehicles will be allowed to move," he said further.
Traffic in several areas was hit due to a shutdown called by BJD leaders in protest against the death of a student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College by self-immolation. The 20-year-old who set herself on fire over an alleged sexual harassment by a college faculty died on Tuesday, which led to passive protest by opposition parties, including the BJD.
Also Read | Odisha self-immolition case: Oppn slams state govt for 'systemic failure', calls statewide bandh on July 17.
The family of the deceased student held the college management responsible for his daughter's death, accusing them of preparing a "biased report" in connection with her allegation, which led her to set herself on fire on the campus on July 12.
Opposition leaders, including Congress leader and leader of the opposition in parliament Rahul Gandhi, former Odisha chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik termed the incident an "organised murder by the system". The political parties in Odisha called for a bandh in the state on July 17 to protest against the incident.