Bhubaneswar: The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) today launched a scathing attack on the ruling BJP Government in Odisha, claiming an “alarming collapse” of law and order in the state, which has worsened significantly over the past week.
Speaking at a press conference at Sankha Bhawan, BJD Senior General Secretary and Spokesperson, Shri Bhrugu Baxipatra, highlighted a series of recent grave crimes across Odisha, stating they clearly expose the deteriorating security situation under the current administration.
He accused the BJP Government of remaining “indifferent” and “in a deep slumber,” showing an utter lack of response to the opposition and the suffering of the people.
Shri Baxipatra pointed to the sensational murder of a prominent figure in Southern Odisha as a prime example. “Last evening, in Berhampur, the nerve centre of Southern Odisha, a prominent BJP leader and member of the Odisha State Bar Council, Shri Pitabas Panda, was shot dead at point-blank range by two miscreants,” he said. He criticized the police’s failure to make an arrest over 20 hours after the incident.
The BJD spokesperson further alleged that Ganjam district has become a hotbed of crime, recording three murders in the last 24 hours alone, bringing the total number of murders to 128 since the Mohan Charan Majhi-led government assumed power.
According to Shri Baxipatra, the surge in crime in Ganjam is directly linked to an “exponential” increase in illegal mining and the looting of minor minerals like sand and chips, which he claimed are “flourishing under the patronage of the BJP Government,” turning Ganjam into a “haven for criminals.” He contrasted the current situation with the “peace and stability” that prevailed in Ganjam during the previous Shri Naveen Patnaik Government.
Shri Baxipatra also brought up a recent incident in Puri district, where a miscreant reportedly entered a LACCMI bus and launched a knife attack on passengers this morning, injuring seven people.
He concluded by stressing that women, students, and minor girls across the state have become increasingly unsafe, with incidents of rape, molestation, domestic violence, and murder “making daily headlines.”
He accused the government of being preoccupied with “self-promotion and propaganda,” stating that the people of Odisha have now realized that the “Double Engine Government” has proved to be “insensitive.”