More than 25,000 people from across Odisha—including organised and unorganised sector workers, scheme workers, peasants, agricultural labourers, students, youth, women, tribals, intellectuals and common citizens—took to the streets of Bhubaneswar today in a massive demonstration called by the Odisha State Committee of SUCI (Communist).

Protesters Raise Wide Range of Public Demands

The rally, held in front of the State Secretariat, highlighted a series of demands concerning livelihood, public welfare and democratic rights. The demonstrators called for:

• An end to rising atrocities against women

• Exemplary punishment for perpetrators of crimes against women

• A ban on liquor sales and the spread of obscenity

• Scrapping of SIR and repeal of the “black” labour codes

• Reopening of all closed Odia-medium government schools

• Stoppage of smart meter installation

• Filling up all vacant government posts

• Recognition of scheme workers as government employees with 12-month wages

• Prevention of eviction of slum dwellers and tribals from ancestral land for corporate interests

A detailed memorandum of these demands was submitted to the government by a party delegation led by Shri Shambhunath Naik, former MLA, and veteran peasant leader Shri Raghunath Das.

Top Leaders Address Massive Gathering

A large public meeting at the demonstration site was presided over by Smt. Swayamprava Nayak, State Secretariat member of SUCI(C). Key leaders who addressed the gathering included:

• Shri Dwarikanath Rath, Central Committee Member

• Shri Shankar Dasgupta, State Secretary

• Shri Bishnu Das, State Secretariat Member

• Other speakers from various districts of Odisha

The leaders criticised government policies and urged the masses to intensify struggles for their rights.

Statewide Protest Week Announced

The demonstrators collectively resolved to extend the movement to the grassroots level across all blocks and panchayats of the state. They also announced a statewide ‘Protest Week’ from December 9 to 15, calling for continuous agitation on local issues.

The post Over 25,000 Protesters March in Bhubaneswar, SUCI(C) Presses for Life and Livelihood Demands appeared first on Odisha Connect.