Crimes against women fell significantly under BJP govt: CM | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Defending his govt’s record on women’s safety, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday cited significant reduction in crimes against women, amid ongoing protests by Congress since March 7 alleging “rise” in such cases that led to the suspension of 14 MLAs of the opposition party.
Congress has planned to gherao the assembly on Thursday against “rising” crimes against women and in protest against action on its MLAs for raising the same issue in the assembly.
Speaking during a debate on the home department budget, Majhi, who also holds the home portfolio, presented data showing a decrease across various categories of crimes against women between June 2024 when he took over as CM and Feb 2025, compared to the same period the previous year.
“Our govt maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards crimes against women and children,” Majhi said, highlighting a 7.4% decrease in murder cases, a 4.7% reduction in minor rape cases and a 1.7% decline in rape cases.
“The govt has implemented a ‘red flag’ system for sensitive cases involving crimes against women, appointing special public prosecutors and dedicated investigation officers. This has resulted in improved conviction rates,” the CM said.
Other significant reductions included sexual harassment cases (13.5%), public disrobing of women (22.3%), stalking (16.9%), women trafficking (29.4%), dowry deaths (20.1%) and dowry harassment (4.6%).
“To strengthen women’s safety infrastructure, the govt has allocated Rs 152.6 crore for 2025-26 under the Subhadra Security scheme. The initiative includes establishing women’s helplines, installing CCTV cameras in 100 sensitive areas, and creating child-friendly police stations,” he said.
Dismissing opposition claims about rising crimes against women, Majhi emphasised that the statistics demonstrate his govt’s commitment to addressing violence against women through stringent action and improved enforcement measures.
Stating that with the increase in professional education and outreach, there is a noticeable rise in cybercrime, the CM said his govt places special emphasis on tackling the growing cases in the state with firmness. “Currently, cyber police stations are operational in 14 districts. The govt is taking steps to immediately establish cyber and economic offence police stations in the remaining 20 police districts,” he said.
Congress has planned to gherao the assembly on Thursday against “rising” crimes against women and in protest against action on its MLAs for raising the same issue in the assembly.
Speaking during a debate on the home department budget, Majhi, who also holds the home portfolio, presented data showing a decrease across various categories of crimes against women between June 2024 when he took over as CM and Feb 2025, compared to the same period the previous year.
“Our govt maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards crimes against women and children,” Majhi said, highlighting a 7.4% decrease in murder cases, a 4.7% reduction in minor rape cases and a 1.7% decline in rape cases.
“The govt has implemented a ‘red flag’ system for sensitive cases involving crimes against women, appointing special public prosecutors and dedicated investigation officers. This has resulted in improved conviction rates,” the CM said.
Other significant reductions included sexual harassment cases (13.5%), public disrobing of women (22.3%), stalking (16.9%), women trafficking (29.4%), dowry deaths (20.1%) and dowry harassment (4.6%).
“To strengthen women’s safety infrastructure, the govt has allocated Rs 152.6 crore for 2025-26 under the Subhadra Security scheme. The initiative includes establishing women’s helplines, installing CCTV cameras in 100 sensitive areas, and creating child-friendly police stations,” he said.
Dismissing opposition claims about rising crimes against women, Majhi emphasised that the statistics demonstrate his govt’s commitment to addressing violence against women through stringent action and improved enforcement measures.
Stating that with the increase in professional education and outreach, there is a noticeable rise in cybercrime, the CM said his govt places special emphasis on tackling the growing cases in the state with firmness. “Currently, cyber police stations are operational in 14 districts. The govt is taking steps to immediately establish cyber and economic offence police stations in the remaining 20 police districts,” he said.
