Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: The state experienced Hindu-Muslim clashes at least 20 times in 2015 and Hindu-Christian conflicts four times even as the general law and order situation in the state remained peaceful.
This was stated in a ‘White Paper’ prepared by the home department which was tabled by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the Assembly Tuesday.
The white paper, however, said direct monitoring and timely intervention by the police and administration have helped prevent possible law and order situations which otherwise could have aggravated the peaceful atmosphere in the state.
It claimed suspected terrorists and Jihadi elements have been successfully contained for the internal security.
‘‘The terrorists and Jihadi elements have chosen the peaceful coastal state as a safe hideout and to stay away from limelight,’’ an official said.
‘‘Last year based on an intelligence tip-off, Orissa police arrested Iswar Chandra Behera, a contractual photographer of ITR (interim test range), Chandipur on charge of spying and transmitting information of ITR, Wheeler Island and Dhamra through his mobile phones,’’ the white paper said.
Ramachandran Subhas from Tamil Nadu was arrested for being involved in Puri serial train burning cases. His suspected involvement with some terrorist outfit is under investigation of the NIA.
In another incident, Delhi police special cell in a joint operation with the state police arrested Abdur Rehman from Cuttack for his suspected links with terrorist outfits like AQIS and running unregistered madrasa where he was aiming to radicalise Muslim youths, the report said.
The white paper said 1,03,200 cognisable offences were registered in the state in 2015 against 93,657 offences in 2014. There was a rise in the number of murder cases from 1450 in 2014 to 1473 in 2015. The number of rapes too increased from 2011 in 2014 to 2286 rape cases in 2015.
However, there has been a decline in the number of dacoity cases which was 486 in 2015 against 554 in 2014. As many as 1787 loots, 4,046 snatching, 10,055 theft, 2,935 fraud, 1,976 riots, 54 anti-social activities, 6,016 dowry, 76 suicides due to dowry torture, 3,634 dowry torture cases and 1,698 family dispute cases have been registered in 2015, it said.
The report said left wing extremism declined during the year, though the situation was challenging in Malkangiri, Koraput, Nuapada, Bolangir, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Bargarh and Kalahandi districts.
At least 10 per cent more cognizable offences were recorded in 2015 than in 2014 with the registered number standing at 1,03,200 (2015) while the cases in 2014 stood at 93,657.
