BHUBANESWAR: The Opposition BJP and Congress came down heavily on the State Government for misleading the Assembly over crime situation. Members of the saffron party staged a walk out in protest to its claim that rape cases are on the decline.
Initiating debate on the adjournment motion on alarming rise in missing children and sexual assault on minor girls, Leader of Opposition Pradipta Kumar Naik said such cases are increasing as the police have no control over criminals.
Attributing the steep rise in crime rate in the State to use of police for political purpose, Naik sought to know the reason of police failure to trace missing children. “I suspect the girls are used in illegal flesh trade and boys in human organ trade,” he said.
Speaker SN Patro allowed a discussion on the twin issues as BJP created ruckus the Congress ruckus MLAs in the last few days seeking resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over alleged increase of violence against minors.
Taking exception to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha’s reply that crime situation in the State was “well within control” and police have taken “necessary” action in cases of sexual assault of minor girls, Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingh Mishra said, “The State Government is distorting the data in the Assembly.”
He said the statistics provided to the Supreme Court on missing children by the State Government is higher than what the Minister is providing to the House. “I fail to understand the Minister’s assertion that rape incidents have come down by 5.9 per cent in a year, when the Supreme Court clearly mentioned that 1,005 minor girls have been raped in Odisha between January and June this year,” he said.
The number of rape cases in Odisha was 1,025 in 2010 and increased to 2,502 in 2018. “Is it not alarming?” Mishra questioned while asking the State Government to spell out what steps have been taken to check the rising rape incidents.
The Congress leader suggested the State Government set up a House Committee to find out a mechanism to curb the menace. He further suggested 3Ps - Prevention, Prosecution and Punishment - to reduce the number of rape incidents.
Rejecting the claim of the Opposition that the crime situation is alarming, Arukha said the number has declined compared to last year. There has been decline in the number of rape cases by 5.9 per cent in comparison to the previous year.