Bhubaneswar: Eight political parties, including the Congress and Left, sought the personal intervention of Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati to address the rising crime against women in the state.
A delegation of the eight parties led by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das called on the governor at Raj Bhavan and submitted a memorandum in this regard.
In the memorandum, the parties alleged that the state has been witnessing an alarming rise in “heinous crimes” against women and girls, and asserted that the recent incidents in Balasore and Puri have shocked the conscience of the state as well as the nation.
A 20-year-old B.Ed student of Fakir Mohan College in Balasore set herself ablaze on the campus on July 12 and died at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on the night of July 14. Similarly, a 15-year-old girl of Puri was set afire allegedly by three miscreants. She is now under treatment at AIIMS, New Delhi.
Alleging that these incidents have exposed the failure of the system, the parties claimed that the State Commission for Women has remained non-functional for the last one year and over 11,000 complaints are pending with the panel.
“Continued inaction has deepened the crisis and left women and girls vulnerable across the state. We respectfully urge your Excellency to intervene using constitutional authority to ensure urgent and decisive action for justice and public safety,” the memorandum read.
Responding to the issue, the ruling BJP’s state vice-president Biranchi Tripathy said, “The Congress party is enacting a drama to gain political mileage. Their student wing president was arrested for raping a woman. We are waiting to see when they will hold such a protest march to provide justice to the victim.”
The state government is taking all necessary action against atrocities against women, he said.
PTI
