Bhubaneswar: After appointment of new president, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has become fully active under the leadership Bhakta Charan Das. The party today tried to gherao the official residence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi over rising atrocities against women.
Holding banners and party flags, a large number of Congress activists including members from different wings, students, women, and youth took a march from Congress Bhawan toward the residence of the CM here at Lower PMG Square. During their protest, the Congress activists scuffle with the police force deployed there.
When the Congress members tried to break the police barricade to reach the CM’s house, the police prevented the agitators and also forcefully took some of the Congress leaders in a police van.
Speaking to media persons, OPCC President Bhakta Charan Das said crime against women has gone on increasing in the State. At least 54 gang rape cases were reported during last few months, he said.
The gang rape cases were reported from districts including Balasore, Rourkela, Dhenkanla, Bolangir, Koraput, Bhadrak, and Deogarh, the Congress president said.
Besides, three minor girls have given birth to babies in different government-run schools, which shows that law and order has completely collapsed in the State, Shri Das said.
The Congress leader held the Chief Minister responsible for the situation as Shri Majhi held the Home Department.
“The government has failed to ensure safety for women, girls, and children. We seek answers from the Chief Minister. If the situation continues to remain so, we will not allow Shri Majhi to step outside his home. We will stage protests wherever he will go,” said youth Congress leader Yashir Nawaz.
Senior Congress leader Sasmita Behera said minor girls have become pregnant and given birth in the government schools. “If the government fails to give protection to the girls in the schools, they don’t have any moral right to continue,” she said.
A total of 36,420 women and 8,404 children went missing in the State over the period from 2020 to 2024, the Chief Minister Mohan had informed the State Legislative Assembly recently.
In a written statement to the Assembly, Shri Majhi said 421 women/girls were trafficked to other states through middlemen, leading to the arrest of 453 such middlemen.
The police have been immediately registering cases on the basis of women trafficking complaints and taken action to trace the trafficked women, he said, adding, during 2020 to 2024, a total of 1417 women and 1857 children were traced out. Besides, the state government has also rescued 784 child labourers, Shri Majhi had said.