The Assembly on Saturday witnessed noisy scenes again over the issue of growing atrocities against women in the State with the Congress members storming the well of the House shouting slogans.
The House was adjourned twice during zero hour from 11.38 am to 12.45 pm and again from 12.45 pm to 3 pm as Congress members continued shouting slogans in the well. As the House reassembled at 12.45 pm, Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat requested the Congress members to return to their seats so that the House can take up discussion on the admissibility of an adjournment motion on the power tariff hike. As the Congress members continued slogan shouting, the Speaker again adjourned the House within a minute from 12.45 pm to 3 pm.
Raising the issue during zero hour, Santosh Singh Saluja (Congress) alleged that the State witnessed 11,630 rape cases in the last 13 years of the BJD rule. Atrocities against women and rape cases are on the rise, according to the white paper on crime situation circulated by the State Government, Saluja said and added that ministers and top officials are involved in it. A dowry torture case was filed against former minister Raghunath Mohanty by his daughter-in-law and now an officer in the rank of Additional Director-General of Police and Director of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has also been named in a dowry torture case.
Criticising the State Government for remaining silent, Saluja wanted to know why no action has been taken in these cases. He also referred to the growing rape cases in the State. A gang-rape was reported three days back from Patkura in Kendrapara district. Another gang-rape of a Dalit girl has come to light from Nuapada area of the State, the Congress member said and demanded a statement from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the House on these cases. Soon after the Congress members rushed to the well shouting slogans, the Speaker had to adjourn the House twice. However, normalcy returned to the House in the afternoon session.