Opposition parties led by the Indian National Congress enforced a 12-hour bandh across Odisha on Thursday, paralysing road and rail traffic and shuttering businesses in major towns. National Highway-16, the main Chennai-Kolkata corridor, was clogged with stranded trucks and buses, while public transport was largely suspended in Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj and the state capital Bhubaneswar. The shutdown was called to protest the death of a 20-year-old Fakir Mohan Autonomous College student in Balasore, who allegedly set herself on fire on campus after repeated complaints of sexual harassment were ignored. Protesters are demanding a judicial investigation and the resignation of the state’s Higher Education Minister. With students reporting difficulty reaching examinations and residents walking kilometres for essential travel, the state government directed all district Collectors and Superintendents of Police to stay on alert and prevent violence. Security forces were deployed at key intersections in Bhubaneswar. The demonstration follows a candle-light march held a day earlier by the Biju Janata Dal, underscoring widening political pressure over the case.