Even as Opposition members expressed strong resentment that the number of crimes against women is increasing in the State due to police inaction and low conviction rate, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik refuted the charges, saying the overall law and order situation and the crime scenario are by and large under control.
Participating in an Adjournment Motion, Opposition Chief Whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati, Debendra Sharma and Jacob Pradhan of the Congress and Dr Bibhuti Bhushan Harichandan and Radharani Panda of the BJP alleged that police are not taking effective actions in the cases of rape and other crimes against women.
The Congress members slammed the Government, saying that six rape cases are being reported in the State each day while only six accused person are getting punishment in a year.
The BJP members said girls and women are now feeling unsafe in all parts of the State as police are not providing supports to them.
However, ruling BJD members Pramila Mallick, Samir Ranjan Dash, Mahesh Sahoo and Amar Prasad Satpathy refuted the charges, saying that crime rates and law and order in the State are under control as the Naveen Patnaik Government believes in ‘zero tolerance’ in matter of crimes against women has given a free hand to police for investigation.
Intervening in the discussion, leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra took examples of a three-year-old girl’s rape in Rajkanika, a lady constable rape case and other such cases and said police have not acted properly in all these cases and actions haven’t been taken against culprits. He wanted to know about actions taken in the shameful minor rape incidents at Nilgiri and Soro in Baleswar district.
Commenting on the Chief Minister’s reply, he said Maoist activities are not issues of law and order; rather they can be termed as socioeconomic issues as they are happening in backward areas only. He said law and order need to be enforced simultaneously with undertaking of developmental works so that these problems can be resolved.
He slammed the Chief Minister for his absence during the discussion in the House.
However, Patnaik said the overall law and order and crime scenarios have been under control. Crimes against women are being treated as ‘Red Flag cases’ since 2014. While 943 cases have been treated as Red Flag cases till date, the conviction rate in such cases has also gone up.
“Due to proactive actions, cases of human trafficking have seen a sharp decline of 47.6 per cent in last one year and efforts under Operation Muskaan and Operation Smile has been appreciated by the Ministry of Home Affairs,” said Patnaik.
As many as 8,118 children, including 1,022 girls, have been rescued in five such operations by police, he informed.
“Police authorities have been directed to take stern action in crime against women and children like outraging of modesty, molestation, eve-teasing, acid attack and sexual harassment,” Patnaik said.