Bhubaneswar: Incidents of atrocities, misconduct, violence, and heinous crimes against women in Odisha are increasing day by day. In protest against these crimes and to demand solutions, the District Congress Committee of Bhubaneswar organized a mass demonstration and protest meeting in front of the Sub-Collector’s office today, under the leadership of Pradesh Congress Committee President Bhakta Charan Das.
According to a press release issued by the Congress party, women in the state today feel completely unsafe. Despite women constituting 50% of the population, the state government has failed to provide them with adequate security. This raises serious questions about how the government envisions a developed Odisha.
Pradesh Congress Committee President Bhakta Charan Das, addressing the protest meeting, stated that the Congress will not tolerate this government until women are provided complete safety.
He highlighted that in the last eight months of this government’s tenure, there have been 54 cases of gang rape, rape, and rape-related deaths. There is not a single district in the state where such inhuman, barbaric, and brutal atrocities have not been committed against mothers, sisters, and female students.
Das pointed out that in the President’s own district, a tribal girl was raped. In the Chief Minister’s home district of Champua and Telkoi, a Class VI and a Class IX student were raped, with the Class IX student becoming pregnant. In Jajpur district, a girl from a children’s home became pregnant. In Malkangiri’s Chitrakonda, a tribal girl who was appearing for her matriculation exams became a mother. These incidents raise serious questions about the safety and condition of women in the state. The President is aware of all these incidents, but while criticizing incidents in other states, she remains silent about the situation in her own state, which is deeply concerning. The Congress’s sole demand is justice and safety for women, and Das made this clear in his speech.
Senior Congress leader and former PCC President Jayadev Jena expressed deep anguish and sorrow, stating that while the “double-engine” government claims to be godlike by giving Rs 5,000 to one crore Subhadras, it remains silent when hundreds of Subhadras face brutal atrocities, rape, and gang rape.
He questioned whether this is the duty of a government. The slogan of “Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao” (Educate the Girl Child, Save the Girl Child) has remained just a slogan. Women in the state are completely unsafe today, and Odisha has gained recognition as a crime-prone state, which is the biggest achievement of this double-engine government.
Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Srikant Jena stated that the scales of justice are in the hands of women, but this double-engine government is not paying attention to this. The safer women are, the stronger the state will be socially, culturally, economically, and politically. The crimes and atrocities against tribal schoolgirls have brought disgrace to the state across the country. However, neither the Chief Minister nor any BJP leader has spoken out on this issue.
Former Minister Jagannath Pattnaik criticized the BJP government, stating that the increasing crimes against women in the state are a result of the BJP’s Manuvadi ideology. The BJP is inspired by Manuvadi ideals, which do not respect women adequately.
Women leaders like Madhusmita Acharya, Prabhavati Pattnaik, Nirupama Patra, Shriya Mahanty, and several other Congress women leaders expressed their outrage at the atrocities and crimes against women during the protest meeting. They demanded that the state government take immediate and concrete steps to address these issues.
Senior Congress leaders Anant Sethi and Debashish Pattnaik also condemned the atrocities against women.
Bhubaneswar District Congress President Biswajit Das stated in his speech that until women are provided safety and respect, Odisha can never become a developed state.
He emphasized that the state will never tolerate crimes against tribal and Scheduled Caste women. In the last eight months, 1,600 serious crimes against women have been registered in various police stations across the state. This fight against the government has just begun.
The program was organized by Bhubaneswar District Congress.
