Bargarh disrupted by bandh demanding justice for abducted woman

Bhubaneswar, Jan 21: Normal life in Bargarh town, Odisha, was significantly disrupted on Tuesday due to a dawn-to-dusk bandh organized to demand justice for a woman who was allegedly abducted and later found in critical condition in a forest.
The 12-hour shutdown, called by the Bargarh Sachetan Nagarika Mancha, saw protesters taking to the streets and staging demonstrations at major junctions, which severely affected vehicular movement throughout the area.
While shops and business establishments remained closed during the bandh, emergency services were exempted. Reports indicated that hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the Bargarh-Raipur national highway due to the protests.
The protestors accused the police of failing to apprehend the main culprits despite the crime being reported over eight days ago.
The incident involved the woman going missing after attending the Dhanu Jatra festival on the evening of January 12. Her family filed a police complaint when she failed to return. They later received a call from an unknown person stating that she was lying motionless in the forest. After a two-day search, locals found her on January 14, suffering severe injuries, though medical reports confirmed she did not show signs of sexual assault, according to Prof. Lalmohan Nayak, superintendent of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR).