Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik vehemently denounced the horrific rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl at Chandabali in Odisha’s Bhadrak district, describing the crime as “utterly heinous”.
In a post on X, Naveen said that the incident has “shaken civilised society to its core”.
According to the police, the blood-soaked body of the Class 3 student near a bush in Baligaon under Chandbali police limits, almost 6 hours after she left home at 2 pm on Tuesday. The family alleged she was raped and killed, triggering protest by locals on Wednesday, even as the police arrested the key accused from Jagatsinghpur district.
The former CM claimed that increasing incidents of rape-like crimes in Odisha, along with the government’s utter inaction, have left everyone shaken and terrified. “The image of Odisha, once known for women’s safety and strong law and order, is now being tarnished before the entire world. While women’s safety in the state has deteriorated, the BJP government’s indifference is astonishing everyone.”
“Why is the government dragging its feet in taking exemplary steps to ensure a safe environment for all? How many more innocent lives must be lost before the government wakes up? Odisha’s mothers and sisters want safety, not the empty fireworks of the double-engine government’s false promises. Before the situation worsens further, the government must step forward proactively and strictly enforce security measures,” he stressed.
The youth and students of Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD) and Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) also gheraoed the residence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, demanding his immediate resignation over the complete breakdown of law and order and the alarming surge in crimes against women.
The outrage over alleged rape and murder of the 10-year-old girl was further fueled by a series of recent cases, including gang rapes at Dhauli and Gopalpur, the rape of a 17-year-old at Saheed Nagar, and other incidents in Baliharachandi and Malkangiri, which protesters said highlighted the total collapse of women’s safety since the BJP came to power in Odisha.
The Opposition BJD and Congress have also called for a six-hour shutdown in Chandbali block of Bhadrak district district in Odisha on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has promised stringent punishment for the accused in accordance with law. He also announced Rs 10 lakh assistance for the bereaved family from the chief minister’s relief fund (CMRF).
