An average of seven rape cases was reported everyday in the year 2018, according to an Assembly Standing Committee Report on the Home Department tabled in the House on Friday.
A total of 2,502 rape cases were lodged in the State in 2018 as against 2,221 in the preceding year, mentioned the report.
Crimes like rape, dacoity and murder are increasing in the State at an alarming rate while the percentage of conviction has reduced due to delay in the process of police investigation, the report stated.
In 2018, a total 1,07,408 cognizable cases were reported in the State.
They include 1,378 murder, 2,120 riots and 2,502 rape cases. Till March, 2019, total 28,617 serious crimes were reported in the State.
“A total of 1,03,066 criminal cases were lodged at different police stations across Odisha in 2017. Of the total, 1,267 were murder cases. In 2018, the number rose to 1,378. Besides, 558 dacoity cases were lodged in 2018 as against 534 in 2017,” read the report.
The report further reveals that the number of chargesheets filed in murder cases have decreased. Chargesheets were filed in 645 out of the total 1,378 murder cases reported last year.
This apart, number of deaths due to road accidents has increased manifold despite various modern traffic management systems. While 10,855 road accidents were reported in 2017, the number rose to 11,262 in 2018.
However, Maoist violence remained under control in the State in 2018.
According to the report, six districts, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar didn’t see any Maoist activity in 2018. Though Left Wing Extremism remained challenging
in parts of Malkangiri,
Koraput, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Kadhamal and Nuapada districts, the situation was
under control in other parts of the State.
A total of 54 LWE related incidents, including 26 cases of exchange of fire, were reported in 2018. As many as 19 CPI (Maoist) cadres were killed, 339 arrested and 27 surrendered in the year, said the report.