Crimes Against Women Remain Alarming in the State

Bhubaneswar, 24th Sept 2025:  Crimes against women in the state remain a serious concern. Between June 1, 2024, and July 31, 2025, a total of 37,611 cases of atrocities or violence against women were reported. Among these, there were 2,933 rape cases, 264 dowry-related murders, and 44 dowry-related suicides.

In response to a question raised by Barabati-Cuttack MLA Sophia Firdous in the Odisha Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi provided this written reply. During the same 13-month period, 174 cases of attempted rape were reported, while 334 cases involved men having sexual relations under the pretext of marriage and later refusing to marry.

Key Statistics (June 2024 to July 2025):

2,933 rapes

264 dowry murders

44 dowry suicides

1,278 cases of sexual harassment

2,161 cases of public insult/disrespect towards women

135 incidents of attempted molestation

3 acid attack incidents, with 2 more attempted acid attacks

127 cases of women trafficking

8,227 kidnappings/abductions of women

5,464 cases of dowry torture

6,134 cases of non-dowry-related torture

In connection with these crimes, 5,754 men and 225 women have been arrested.

The Chief Minister further mentioned that in this 13-month span, 799 cases have resulted in convictions. A year-wise trend of crimes against women over the past 5 years reveals a fluctuating but generally increasing pattern:

Year-wise Total Cases of Crimes Against Women:

2020 – 27,810 cases

2021 – 35,326 cases

2022 – 27,994 cases

2023 – 30,078 cases

2024 – 30,779 cases (till end of year)

2025 – 19,333 cases (till July only)

Rape Cases over the Last 5 Years:

2020 – 2,984

2021 – 3,327

2022 – 3,184

2023 – 2,826

2024 – 3,054

2025 – 1,490 (till July)

Only in 2025 (till July), the following were also reported:

96 attempted rapes

4,594 molestation cases

689 cases of sexual harassment

2 acid attacks

39 human trafficking cases

4,562 kidnappings/abductions

133 dowry-related murders

37 dowry-related suicides

The Chief Minister emphasized that although steps are being taken, the overall picture of crimes against women in Odisha over the last five years shows a gradual upward trend, requiring urgent attention and corrective measures.

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