Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Thursday alleged a BJP leader’s involvement in the abduction of a married woman in Nayagarh district and accused the state government of failing to act, claiming the incident reflects a worsening law and order situation and growing insecurity for women in the state.
Addressing a press conference at Shankha Bhawan, Daspalla BJD MLA Ramesh Chandra Behera and party spokesperson Lora Mohapatra alleged that Raghav Mallick, BJP’s Daspalla Assembly candidate in the last election, kidnapped a woman who has been reportedly missing for nearly a month.
Behera said the woman’s husband had filed a complaint with the local police station on December 31, alleging his wife was abducted. He claimed that despite the complaint, police have taken no effective action so far and the woman’s whereabouts remain unknown. According to the BJD leader, the complainant submitted WhatsApp chat records between the accused and the woman as evidence. He further alleged that the accused had threatened the woman’s husband.
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Describing the incident as part of a broader plan, Behera accused the BJP government of providing protection to party leaders involved in crimes against women, resulting in a breakdown of law and order. He demanded immediate action and warned of street protests if the situation does not improve.
Party spokesperson Lora Mohapatra alleged that cases of atrocities against women have increased since the BJP came to power. Citing party data, she claimed that more than 40,000 cases of crimes against women were registered in the state over the past 18 months, including around 4,000 rape cases.
She also referred to other recent incidents allegedly involving BJP leaders in Khandapada and Rajnagar and claimed that several such cases have surfaced without any action being taken.
“The Chief Minister speaks of women’s safety, but the involvement of leaders from the ruling party is weakening law enforcement,” she said.
