TNI Bureau: The Odisha Pradesh Mahila Congress alleged that the state is witnessing a sharp rise in rape, gang rape, sexual harassment and atrocities against women and minor girls, leading to a “chaotic and uncontrollable law and order situation”.
Addressing a press conference, Odisha Pradesh Mahila Congress president Minakshi Bahinipati accused the BJP government, police and administration of remaining indifferent despite the alarming increase in crimes against women.
Referring to a recent incident, Bahinipati said that on December 10, around 8 pm, a minor girl and her 17-year-old male friend were returning from Dhauli when they were intercepted near Lingipur Canal Road. She alleged that the miscreants snatched a gold chain weighing about 20 grams and stopped them. Of the three to four accused, two allegedly tied the boy to a tree in an isolated area and gang-raped the minor girl. One of the accused, she claimed, has a criminal background involving attempted murder and assault and had recently been released on bail.
Minakshi Bahinipati strongly condemned what she described as the government’s silence and inaction despite an unprecedented rise in rape, gang rape and violence against women and minors during the 18 months of BJP rule in the state. She alleged that the government has “turned a blind eye” to women’s safety.
Citing other incidents, she referred to the brutal gang rape of a minor girl in Baghamari in Khurda district, the slow investigation into the alleged sexual assault of three minor girls aged between five and seven years by a 45-year-old man in Malkangiri, and the alleged misconduct by an attendant with a woman patient in the ICU of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. These incidents, she said, reflect administrative failure, negligence and a deteriorating law and order situation.
She further alleged that incidents of violence against women are being reported almost every week from districts such as Puri, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur, Gopalpur and Rayagada, but no strong action has been taken. Claiming that since the BJP came to power more than 40,000 cases related to sexual harassment, rape, gang rape, abduction and murder of women have been reported, Bahinipati questioned the effectiveness of the government despite the presence of a woman Deputy Chief Minister and a woman Speaker.
Therefore, the Odisha Pradesh Mahila Congress has strongly demanded immediate fast-track trials, the formation of special women investigation teams, strict action against responsible police officers, and the provision of security, counselling and legal assistance to survivors.
Expressing concern over the rising incidents of violence against women, Minakshi Bahinipati said Odisha should not be further shamed at the national and international level due to increasing crimes against women. She emphasised that women’s safety is not a political issue but a fundamental responsibility of the government.
Warning the government, Bahinipati said that if such inaction continues, women in Odisha will not remain silent and that the struggle for women’s safety, dignity and rights will intensify from the streets to the Odisha Legislative Assembly.
Senior Congress vice-president Pranati Mishra and Jayshree Pattnaik were present at the press conference.
