A total of 40,947 cases of crimes against women, including 3,205 rapes, were registered in Odisha over a 15-month period ending in September, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi informed the state assembly on Monday. The Chief Minister provided these figures in response to a written question posed by BJD legislator Prasanna Acharya, specifying that the cases were reported since July 1, 2024.
The release of the data comes as the opposition has consistently criticised the Majhi-led Bharatiya Janata Party government, which took power in June 2024, alleging an increase in crimes against women following the end of the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal's 24-year rule.
The comprehensive data provided by the CM revealed the breakdown of major crimes against women registered during the period.
According to data provided by the CM, 202 cases of attempted rape, 1,476 cases of sexual harassment, 9,851 cases of molestations, 2,310 cases of public disrobing of women, 8,863 cases of kidnapping of women, 796 eve-teasing and 556 stalking cases were registered in the state during the period.
Among the other cases registered were 129 trafficking, 277 dowry homicides, 49 dowry suicides, 5,861 dowry tortures, 6,773 non-dowry tortures and 152 voyeurism.
Four cases of acid attack were also lodged during the period. CM Majhi outlined several steps his administration is taking to combat these crimes and improve the state's judicial response.
Efforts are afoot to enhance the quality of investigations, fast-track cases, and improve the conviction rate. IUCAW is functional in 29 districts, dealing with sensitive and important cases regarding crime against women.
The Bhubaneswar-based Crime Against Women and Children Wing monitors the performance of the district units such as IAHTU, SJPU, and IUCAW, on a month-to-month basis and issues instructions for improvement.
A Children and Women Online Abuse Monitoring Unit is functioning under the CID-Crime Branch to deal with cybercrimes against women and children.
The dedicated Child Marriage Prohibition Officers, Protection Officers, and Dowry Prohibition Officers are working relentlessly to safeguard the rights of women and children throughout the state.
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