BHUBANESWAR: Odisha DGP Dr RP Sharma on Monday inaugurated a training workshop for the nodal officers and the people, who will be part of the 15-day awareness campaign to curb the incidents of sexual assaults against minor girls and child abuse. As many as 15 chariots would be flagged off from different parts of the State for the campaign on May 28. Each chariot will cover two districts in 15 days and after the end of the campaign, those will converge at Bhubaneswar for a valedictory function on June 12. The chariots have been named ‘Paree’ and the campaign has been dubbed as ‘Paree Pain Kathatiea’ (a word for the little angel).
The chariots will play audio-visual on the LCD screens in the vans. Besides, leaflets and other printed materials will be distributed followed by community interaction during the campaign initiated by Odisha Police. UNICEF is the technical collaborative partner in the campaign.
The objective of the workshop was to acquaint the nodal officers accompanying the chariots with their various responsibilities, including showcasing the films, distributing leaflets and coordinating with district police. “Odisha Police held discussion for curbing the menace of sexual assaults against minor girls. According to Crime Branch data, in 81 per cent of cases of sexual assault against minor girls, the culprits were arrested within 48 hours from the occurrence of the crimes and charge sheets were also filed on timely basis,” Dr Sharma said.
“As per the UNICEF and other agencies, in 92 to 95 per cent cases, the culprits were known persons including people staying in the same locality and community. To curb the menace is a challenging task and it requires awareness among the people,” he added.Crime Branch ADG Santosh Upadhyay emphasised on covering every block and gram panchayats during the campaign.IG (Headquarters) and nodal officer of the campaign Asheet Kumar Panigrahi and Crime Branch IG Arun Bothra were also present.