Rising Crime Rate: BJP Yuva Morcha To Gherao Odisha Assembly Tomorrow

Bhubaneswar: The BJP Yuva Morcha has decided to gherao Odisha Assembly on Tuesday in protest against rising crime rate in the state.

Speaking at a press meet in Bhubaneswar, BJP’s state general secretary Golak Mohapatra said even as his party has been pointing out deteriorating law and order situation and rising criminal activities, Minister of State for Home on Monday admitted in the Assembly that the criminal cases registered at police stations across the state have increased by 65.9% in 5 years from 2018 to 2022.

Stating that the rising cases of murder and rape reflect total failure on the part of the BJD government, he said it is a matter of grave concern. The murder of minister Naba Kishore Das by an ASI is the latest pointer in this regard, he added.

“The minister’s murder is a pre-planned crime. The ruling party has been trying to suppress the truth behind the murder by making the ASI a scapegoat. While the government is yet to clarify the motive of the murder, it has kept the people in dark about the findings of the investigation,” Mahapatra said.

He questioned why the Crime Branch is desperate to prove that the lone accused, Gopal Das, is a mental patient even as he has been awarded good service (GS) mark during his 13-year service in Odisha Police. “Besides GS mark, Gopal was awarded 18 prizes and 9 financial incentives for his efficient works and praiseworthy behaviour. If he was mentally unstable, how the department honoured him 4 times every year on an average?,” the BJP leader asked.

Considering these factors, the BJP has been demanding that the investigation into the case should be handed over to the CBI. In order to press its demand and oppose the failure of law and order, the BJP Yuva Morcha would gherao the Assembly on Tuesday, Mohapatra said.