Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Congress Friday slammed the BJD government for its poor record in criminal justice system as reflected in the National Crime Records Bureau 2018 report released recently.
Congress spokesperson Satya Prakash Nayak told reporters the NCRB data showed Odisha in poor light in terms of conviction rate. “While the national conviction rate stands close to 50% in Odisha it is 5.7%. This is a matter of shame for the state,” he said.
“More than 94% of accused in criminal cases are acquitted in the state. The third floor has been asking about the performance report from its ministers but what about their own performance which is dismal,” he asserted.
Nayak said politicos who brag about awards to Odisha should take up responsibility for this too.
“All those party leaders who celebrate after bagging awards for the state would like to take responsibility for its poor show. The Chief Minister who was in charge of Home portfolio should take up onus for this. This shows that justice is denied by the police in legal cases,” he claimed.
The Congress spokesperson said the NCRB records showed shoddy police investigation which is leading to easy acquittals. This comes at a time when some of the most sensational crimes are handed over to the state police and not the CBI.
The boasted schemes of 5T and Mo Sarkar are of little use if policing is not proper in the state. He said, “The government first brought police department under the ambit of Mo Sarkar. People hoped a good culture will set in to police setup. However, the law and order situation in the state is evident from the NCRB. The Chief Minister himself has remained as the home minister for a long time.”
