Bhubaneswar: Rejecting opposition’s claim about rise in crime against women in Odisha, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday asserted that the state government is taking stringent measures to contain such offences.
Describing crime of any form against women as ‘unacceptable,’ the Chief Minister maintained that the overall crime rates in Odisha did not show any alarming rise since BJP formed government.
While replying toto the debate on budgetary demand for the Home Department in the Assembly, the CM pointed out that, in the past 18 months, 48,789 cases of crimes against women had been reported, nearly identical to the 48,787 cases reported under the previous BJD government.
Highlighting a positive trend in specific categories, Majhi pointed out that acid attacks have decreased by 63.3%, while dowry cases came down by 26.1%. Similarly, dacoity and dowry deaths also recorded a decline of 8% and 7.4% respectively.
The Chief Minister also praised the police force for rescuing 5,451 women and children within just 10 days. The crime rate, which was 9.2% in 2022, decreased to 6.7% in 2023, making it the lowest in the country. However, he noted that the crime rate had risen to 41% in 2025, and then spiked to 62% in June 2025.
The Chief Minister claimed that, unlike the previous government, the police are now free from political interference. With continued efforts to tackle cybercrimes and a robust anti-gangster campaign underway, Majhi reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to improving public safety and reducing crimes against women.
