Sambalpur, The Congress party has strongly protested against the rising cases of violence against women in the state. The district Congress unit has launched a fierce attack on the state government over the issue. A large number of party workers and supporters took out a rally from the district Congress office and staged a demonstration in front of the Collector’s office.
Demand for BJP Government’s Resignation
During the protest meeting, held under the leadership of district Congress president Jayashankar Mishra, observer Dr. Hamid Hussain severely criticized the anti-women policies of both the state and central BJP governments. He questioned, “How can women be safe when the country itself is not secure?” He compared the situation to historical events, stating that the Kuru dynasty was destroyed due to the disrobing of Draupadi, and Ravan was killed because of Sita’s abduction. He warned that if violence against women continues to rise, the state government will soon be ousted from power.
Senior Congress leader Sureshwar Mishra also condemned the state government for the increasing violence against women, stating that women in Odisha no longer feel safe. He accused the government of failing to ensure their security. Over the past five years, a shocking 36,420 women and 8,403 children have gone missing in the state. Additionally, 421 women have been trafficked to different states.
Rise in Crimes Against Women Under the New Government
In the last eight months, since the formation of the new government, 54 women have been victims of rape, gang rape, or murder. Congress leaders criticized the government’s complete failure to prevent crimes against women.
Senior leaders Durga Padhi, Niranjan Tripathy, Kedar Bariha, Dilip Duriya, Bijayalaxmi Behera, Sutapa Mitra, Suranjini Barik, Amit Guru, Sudhir Panda, Manoranjan Dash, Bijitendra Pradhan, Chandrakant Purohit, Akhil Pratap Singh, Girija Nayak, Mohammad Zuber, and Mohammad Mukhtar expressed deep concern over the increasing atrocities against SC, ST, and OBC women.
Following the protest, the Congress leaders submitted a memorandum to the Governor through the District Collector, demanding immediate action against the rising violence against women.
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