Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], July 26 : Political tensions are rising in Odisha after a horrific gangrape case emerged from the Jagatsinghpur district. Both the Congress and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) have accused the state's BJP-led government of administrative failure and poor law and order, particularly regarding women's safety.
Congress leader Rajani Kumar Mohanty strongly criticised the state administration, claiming that months of appeals for action, inside and outside the Assembly, have gone unheard.
"Not just Jagatsinghpur, the situation across the entire state has deteriorated drastically. Odisha has now been declared the most unsafe state for women. The recent incident in Jagatsinghpur is horrific. Two men were in a sexual relationship with a girl for six months, she became pregnant, and now one of the accused has been absconding for five days," Mohanty told ANI.
He added, "The government is not accepting the reality, nor is it taking serious action against the accused. It has completely failed to protect the women of our state. For the past five months, we have been constantly raising this issue, in the Assembly and outside, urging the government to act, but they remain silent. The police machinery is inactive. This government must go. The ministers must resign, or else the situation will continue to worsen."
Odisha Congress in-charge Ajay Kumar Lallu demanded the imposition of President's Rule. "A case has come to light from Jagatsinghpur where a 15-year-old girl was gang-raped and an attempt was made to burn her alive. There has been a complete breakdown of law and order in Odisha, so imposing President's rule seems to be the most urgent step... It is clear that law and women's safety are no longer a priority for this Chief Minister and the BJP government," he said.
BJD leader Pratap Keshari Dev also raised sharp concerns, saying that such incidents are becoming widespread and preventive measures are missing.
"These kinds of incidents are happening across Odisha. The police seem to act only after an incident occurs. Where is the preventive action? What is the intelligence department doing? What are the district administration and police doing? If they only react after something happens, it defeats the very purpose of law enforcement... Unfortunately, people across the state are losing faith in the police and the government. The administration is not just inefficient; it's absent," Dev told ANI.
He further said, "At this critical time, the Chief Minister, who also holds the Home Ministry, remains silent. And ministers of the ruling party are preoccupied with a possible cabinet reshuffle... This issue will be raised as a key point in the upcoming Assembly session... The law-and-order situation is deteriorating rapidly. Just look at the state of police administration: in the district where the recent incident occurred, not a single IIC (Inspector-in-Charge) remains in post for more than two months. Why? Because the ruling party is more interested in finding officers who are loyal to their political agenda, not to public service."
Earlier today, Odisha Police registered an FIR against three accused individuals--Bhagyadhara Das, Panchanan Das, and Tulu Babu--for allegedly raping and impregnating a woman in Jagatsinghpur. The accused face charges under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections 49, 64(2)(m), 351(3), and 6.
The two primary accused, Bhagyadhara Das and Panchanan Das, have been arrested by the police. The accused allegedly raped the woman and threatened her against filing a complaint.
The detailed FIR said, "On July 24 at 03.20 PM, one Bhramarabar Parija (50) of village- Banasara PS Kujanga Dist- Jagatsinghpur appeared at PS and presented a written report alleging that the daughter of the complainant, namely Sarojini Parija(18) is 6/7 months pregnant after accused, namely Bhagyadhara Das and Gulia@ Panchanan Das, both sons of Lt Nishakar Das, had physical relationship with his daughter several times for the past 1 year."
"Both accused persons and Tulu babu threatened them to end the dispute and offered them money, or else they would kill him along with his daughter. Hence, he reported the matter to the police for taking legal action against the accused persons. In this report, IIC Kujanga PS registered Kujanga PS Case No.275 dated. July 24 U/S- 49/64(2)(m)/351(3) BNS- 2023/r.w. Section 6 of the POCSO Act and directed SI Rashmi Ranjan Sahoo to take up the investigation," the FIR further said.