Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has zero tolerance towards crimes against women, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan asserted on Tuesday.
“Prompt action has been taken whether in case of Pitabas Panda’s murder case or incidents of crime against women in the past,” he told reporters while responding to queries on the alleged gangrape of a 17-year-old girl by two miscreants in front of her male friend, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar recently.
He added that the government will also take appropriate action in the Dhauli gang-rape case. Though police have apprehended the two accused, their identities have not been disclosed due to the case’s sensitivity and ongoing probe.
Harichandan further noted that the process has begun to set up five fast-track courts in the state to take up cases concerning crimes against women, including domestic violence, sexual assault and abuse, to ensure speedy justice to the victims.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition (LoP) and former CM Naveen Patnaik expressed deep shock and distress over the incident. “…the state capital is becoming unsafe. Criminals are fearless, the government is losing credibility. How much more law and order situation in the state has to deteriorate before the government wakes up? The government’s incompetence in preventing crime is instilling fear in the general public,” he wrote.
Naveen, who is the president of the main Opposition party BJD in the state, further alleged that the BJP government has failed to ensure a safe environment for women in the capital, exposing its gross negligence and insensitive conduct. “It should be proactive in preventing such incidents beforehand, not just after they occur,” he added.
Similarly, senior IAS officer Aboli Sunil Naravane described the incident as a disturbing reminder of the rising crimes against women and the continuing failure to ensure their safety. “While we are struggling to come to terms with what happened to a braveheart in a moving bus in the country’s capital exactly 13 years ago, a chilling reminder that not much has changed,” the 2015-batch Odisha-cadre officer posted on X.
According to sources, the incident took place at around 8 pm on December 10 when the minor girl and her male friend were returning from Dhauli. A day later, she lodged a complaint with police alleging that two men snatched her gold chain, weighing 20 gram, near Lingipur canal road, and fled. The case was upgraded to gang-rape after the girl confided in her mother about being sexually assaulted and a fresh complaint was filed on December 13. Two of the three-to-four assailants, who intercepted them, allegedly gangraped her after tying her male friend, also aged 17, to a tree in an isolated area.
Police sources revealed that one of the accused has a criminal history, including charges of attempted murder and assault, and was recently released on bail.
