Congress Ridicules Odisha Vigilance Topping In Registration Of DA Cases; Says Conviction 2nd Worst In Country At 36.4%

Bhubaneswar: Amid reports about Odisha Vigilance topping in registration of disproportionate assets (DA) cases, Congress on Wednesday said the state is the second worst in the country in investigating cases and prosecuting the offenders.

Accusing the Odisha government of bragging about its Vigilance, state Congress campaign committee chairman Bijay Patnaik said the conviction rate of the investigating agency is 36.4 per cent.

“The truth is they are good at raiding and trapping people (sometimes politically motivated). But they are the second worst in the country in investigating the cases and prosecuting the offenders,” Patnaik said in a post on social media.

While the conviction rate of Odisha vigilance is 36.4 per cent, it is 83.3 per cent in Bihar and 64.7 per cent in Telangana and so on, the Congress leader said. ”They begin with a bang and end with a whimper,” he added.

The Congress leader’s remarks came after a report published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) showed Odisha Vigilance has topped among all states in the country in detection and registration of disproportionate assets (DA) cases in 2022.

As per the report, total 372 DA cases were registered in the country during the year. Of those, Odisha accounted for 85 cases. Similarly, with registration of 84 corruption cases on the allegation of criminal misconduct (misappropriation of government funds), Odisha Vigilance has bagged 3rd place in the country.