BHUBANESWAR: In the wake of the alleged custodial violence against an Army captain and his fiancée, Odisha govt on Monday asked police to adopt a tough stance against perpetrators of crimes targeting women.
“Our govt is committed to deal with crime against women with an iron hand. The chief minister has asked the police to accord top priority to investigations involving violence against women,” law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said.
Chief secretary Manoj Ahuja held a discussion with DGP Y B Khurania, ADG (crime branch) Arun Bothra, ADG (headquarter) R K Sharma and IG (crime against women and children wing) S Shyni on Monday, underscoring the importance of women-friendly policing and expedited investigation of cases involving violence against women.
The crime against women & children wing was established in 2021, as a separate unit under the state crime branch, to investigate offences against women & children that specifically include prevention of trafficking, sexual offences, domestic violence and children in the juvenile justice system.
Ahuja’s meeting with DGP and other senior IPS officers came minutes after CM Mohan Majhi met the Army officer, his fiancée and ex-servicemen, assuring them time-bound justice in the case.
On Sunday night, the govt ordered a judicial probe into the Sept 15 Bharatpur police station case by retired judge of Orissa high court Justice Chitta Ranjan Das. The commission was requested to submit the report in 60 days. Govt also requested the HC to monitor the crime branch investigation into the incident.
Cases of crime against women went down by 25% in Odisha in 2022 compared to 2021, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data. While 31,352 crimes against women were reported in the state in 2021, it came down to 23,648 in 2022, data revealed. According to a white paper of the state govt, rape cases went down to 2,826 in 2023 compared to 3,184 in 2022.
Women activists said many victims still hesitate to lodge complaints. “Under-reporting of crime against women is a concern. While police at some places scare away complainants, there are also instances of women refusing to approach the police out of fear of social stigma and revenge by the accused,” said Santosini Swain, a social activist.