Odisha: BJD leader hits out at State government for failing to curb crimes against women

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], September 2 (ANI): Biju Janta Dal (BJD) leader Lekhasri Samantsinghar on Monday hit out at the BJP-led government in the State for failing to curb crimes against women.

While speaking to ANI, Samantsinghar said, “Since the BJP government is formed in Odisha, and they are saying it is a double engine government, everyone expected good governance but one after the other, crimes against women in the state are increasing.”

The BJD leader mentioned other incidents of alleged sexual assault in Khorda and Bhubaneswar, while also highlighting the case of alleged sexual assault and murder of a minor girl in Balasore. “Unfortunately, on August 27, a 10 year old tribal girl from Balasore was brutally raped and killed in the district.”

The BJD leader further alleged that even after the family had complained to the police, no action was taken by the authorities. “When this incident happened, the family complained in the police station, but no action was taken by the police. The police finally seized the body of the victim after four days of no action”, the BJD leader said.

Samantsinghar also said the Chief Minister had a plan to visit Remunda, but after the incident had occurred, the visit had been cancelled. “The Chief Minister was supposed to visit Remunda, but after this incident, he didn’t go there. Even other members of the state cabinet did not visit the place, neither the child development minister nor any other minister visited the area. So all the talk about the development of women and Adivasis being touted by the government is not true, they are actually not doing anything. The government is trying to hush up the case,” she alleged.

Earlier, former Chief Minister and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik also highlighted the law-and-order situation in the state in his speech in the State assembly and put the spotlight on the alleged sexual assault and murder of a minor. “In my period of government, no one was above the law. Nobody could escape the law. The present Chief Minister holds the home portfolio, I hope all these incidents will be informed to him, including the case of recent rape and murder of a minor.”, read the statement by the BJD chief in a post on X.