Skeleton episode rocks Odisha Assembly as opposition targets BJP government

The shocking incident of a tribal man carrying his dead sister’s skeleton to a bank in Odisha triggered uproar in a special session of the state Assembly on 30 April, with opposition parties attacking the BJP government over alleged administrative insensitivity and failure of governance.

The special Assembly session had been convened to discuss “Participation of Women in Indian Democracy”, but proceedings quickly turned confrontational over the Keonjhar skeleton episode.

Congress protests inside House

As soon as proceedings began, Congress MLAs rushed to the well of the House holding placards and shouting slogans against the BJP-led government.

Despite the protests, Speaker Surama Padhy allowed proceedings to continue, prompting Congress legislators to stage a brief walkout.

The controversy centred around the recent incident in Keonjhar where a tribal man allegedly exhumed his sister’s skeleton and carried it to a bank after officials reportedly insisted on proof of her death before releasing money from her account.

CM attacks opposition on women’s quota

Opening the debate, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi accused the opposition of obstructing women’s political representation.

Targeting the Biju Janata Dal over its 24-year rule in Odisha, Majhi said:

“The BJD reserving 33 per cent seats for women in the panchayati raj system was not sufficient. They should have made provision to give women adequate representation in the Lok Sabha and in the Assembly too.”

Naveen Patnaik hits back

Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik sharply criticised the state government over the Keonjhar incident, calling it a symbol of “inhumane governance”.

“Odisha's head hangs in shame as a woman's skeleton had to be exhumed by her family and carried to the bank to prove her death in order to claim her rightful dues,” Patnaik said.

Terming the BJP administration a “double engine government”, he added:

“Such inhumane governance has never been witnessed in the history of Odisha.”

Patnaik also accused the government of speaking about women’s empowerment while failing to ensure dignity and justice on the ground.

“The BJP government in Odisha has no right to speak of women's dignity and empowerment. Governance has been reduced to narratives and optics,” he said.

Clash over women’s reservation, delimitation

The debate also saw sharp exchanges over women’s reservation and delimitation.

Patnaik reminded the House that the women’s reservation bill had already been passed unanimously in Parliament in 2023 and said the BJD had fully supported it.

“The BJD had supported this bill in Parliament, and even today we demand that it be implemented immediately,” he said.

He also highlighted that the BJD had fielded women candidates in 33 per cent of Lok Sabha seats in Odisha during the 2019 and 2024 elections.

Patnaik accused the Centre of linking women’s reservation with delimitation in a “clandestine” manner aimed at reducing Odisha’s political representation.

“History will not forgive us if we support this delimitation bill,” he said.

BJP invokes Dana Majhi incident

Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida countered Patnaik by referring to the 2016 Dana Majhi incident, in which a tribal man carried his wife’s body on his shoulders for several kilometres due to lack of transport during the BJD government’s tenure.

“Odisha was condemned in the Dana Majhi incident. What was Naveen Babu doing then? Today, he is shedding crocodile tears,” she said.

Congress raises tribal rights issue

Congress Legislature Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam also attacked the government over the incident.

“A poor tribal man was forced to dig out his sister's skeleton to give proof of her death. This government has not implemented the PESA Rules to protect the rights of tribals,” Kadam said.

He added that the Congress had consistently fought for women’s rights and tribal welfare.

The Keonjhar skeleton episode has sparked national outrage after images emerged of a tribal man carrying skeletal remains to establish proof of death before accessing bank funds belonging to his deceased sister.

The incident has reignited debate over bureaucratic insensitivity, access to welfare systems and the condition of tribal communities in remote regions of Odisha.