BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday targeted the Opposition for not allowing the budget session of the Assembly to function over false claims of deteriorating law and order and increasing atrocities against women.
In a pointed rebuttal to Congress’ allegations of sharp rise in crime against women under BJP rule, the chief minister in his reply to the discussion on demand for grant of Home and General Administration departments said the Opposition has taken to falsehood to malign his government and chosen the path of disruption to stall Assembly proceedings.
Asserting that there is a marked improvement in the law and order situation in the state after the BJP government came to power, Majhi said, “Since our government came to power, there has been a decrease in criminal cases against women and children from June 1, 2024 to February 28, 2025 compared to the same period in the previous year. This is possible due to the ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards crime against women and children.”
An examination of crimes against women during the same period shows that there has been a decrease in sexual harassment by 13.5 per cent, cruelty by husband by 29.4 per cent, indecent behaviour by 3.9 per cent, stalking by 16.9 per cent and eve teasing by 3.8 per cent. Similarly, a comparative analysis of crimes against women during this period revealed that dowry deaths have decreased by 20.1 per cent and dowry harassment has reduced by 4.6 per cent.
“These statistics indicate a significant reduction in crimes against women reflecting the government’s tough action against offenders,” Majhi said.
He further said that murder case statistics reveal the number of cases has decreased by 7.4 per cent compared to the same period in the previous year. Similarly, there has been a decrease of 4.7 per cent in juvenile delinquency cases and 1.7 per cent in criminal cases.
“Our government is committed to upholding a zero-tolerance policy towards crimes against women and children, ensuring swift and stringent legal action against the accused, and delivering justice to the victims,” he asserted. The chief minister said the White Paper on crime has been tabled in the House. “If the Opposition has any concern, let them come to the House and debate. The government is ready to address all their concerns,” he said.