A horrendous spate of sexual offences has rocked Odisha in a fortnight. The gangrape of a 17-year-old in Rourkela—twice within a few hours on Sunday—is still sending shockwaves across the state. She was kidnapped from near a pub that is located 100 metres from a police station and sexually assaulted by at least six persons. Barely 24 hours earlier, two young girls were abducted and raped by three persons in the same city.
A few days before these incidents, an 11-year-old was raped and murdered in Nabarangpur district to the south of Rourkela. This shocking run of crimes against girls and women in the state are not isolated cases—they point to the poor state of women’s safety in Odisha.
A white paper presented in the assembly in August revealed that the state recorded 2,826 rape cases in 2023—that is, about seven offences a day. The National Crime Records Bureau puts Odisha among the top 10 states on incidences outraging women’s modesty.
These figures do not sit well with the image of a peaceful state with law-abiding people created by the previous BJD dispensation. Though it launched several initiatives to enhance women’s safety, the ground reality belied the image makeover such measures enabled. During the last two terms of its 24-year rule the regional outfit was in the crosshairs of the opposition over allegations of its party leaders’ involvement in a number of crimes against women.
Chief Minister Mohan Majhi was spot on last week when he told a conference of police superintendents that the state had a “disappointing and unacceptable” conviction rate of 9.7 percent in crimes against women over the last 24 years. His government would require a massive systemic change to turn things around.
The low conviction rate and high pendency must be tackled with appropriate infrastructure, manpower and use of technology during investigation and prosecution. Majhi has asked for a detailed report from the director general of police so that an action plan can be drawn up. The chief minister has shown the intent and sent a stern message to senior officers. It remains to be seen if it translates into action.