Bhubaneswar, April 11 (IANS) The Congress Thursday demanded a new legislation in Odisha to ensure safety and security to women and claimed that crimes against them were on the rise in the state.
The state reported the highest number of crimes against women and has the dubious distinction of being the state with largest number of rape cases, state Congress president Niranjan Patnaik said here.
In 2012, the state registered a whopping 1,458 rape cases, indicating an average of four rapes a day.
This has dramatically increased since the Naveen Patnaik government took over in 2000. In 2000, the number of rapes reported was 753, he said.
“Our heads hang in shame at this and we are aghast to see the abhorring apathy of the government towards this sordid state of affairs,” Patnaik said while addressing party workers.
He demanded that the government enact a new law to secure the women who deserved the “best respect, care, affection and attention” of the society.
The women’s wing of the Congress held silent sit-ins across the state, including in Bhubaneswar, and demanded better security. The demonstrations coincided with the birth anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi, wife of Mahatma Gandhi, April 11.
The ruling Biju Janata Dal criticised the Congress for organising such demonstrations and said the police have taken prompt actions in all such crimes.
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