Odisha CM Counters Oppn’s Claim, Announces White Paper On Crimes Against Women Under BJP Regime

Bhubaneswar: Hitting back at the Opposition, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi on Monday announced that his government would soon publish a white paper on crimes against women over the past eight months.

“There has been a decline in such crimes after the BJP government took charge in the state. A white paper on crimes, that will be published soon, will make things clear,” the CM said while responding to allegations of spurt in crimes against women under the BJP regime.

Sources said the Home Department will place the white paper during the ongoing session, which will resume on March 6 after a mid-term break.

The announcement came two day after the Congress staged a massive rally in the state capital, protesting what it called an alarming rise in crimes against women under the current government. The party has also constituted a fact-finding committee to investigate such incidents reported in the state since BJP came to power.

“The Congress is a sinking ship in Odisha. These baseless allegations are nothing more than a desperate attempt to stay relevant. Vidhan Sabha is in session. They should discuss all issues through Question Hour, Adjournment Motion, and during Zero Hour. We are ready for discussions. Ours is not a government that would cut short sessions mid-way,” he told reporters during his weekly grievance hearing session.

The CM further asserted that his ‘people’s government’ is taking strict action against the culprits, which he claimed was a departure from past practices. “We do not spare culprits. They are arrested and sent to judicial custody immediately. The government is committed to ensuring that they face trial and receive due punishment in a court of law,” he said, underscoring his administration’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards crimes against women.

On Saturday, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das had claimed that more than 1,600 cases of crimes against women were registered during the past eight months, including 54 cases of rape. He also expressed concern over three recent incidents of school students getting pregnant.