Naveen Patnaik Slams BJP Govt Over Bhubaneswar Crime Surge
Bhubaneswar, Oct 13: In a scathing indictment of the BJP-led Odisha government, former Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik has raised alarm over what he described as a “deteriorating law and order situation” in the state capital.
His remarks follow a string of violent incidents that rocked Bhubaneswar on Monday, sparking public outrage and political heat.
The most shocking among them was the daylight shooting of Sudhanshu Khuntia, a 32-year-old lab assistant at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
Within hours, the city witnessed a gruesome stoning in Chandrasekharpur and the brutal assault of a President’s Award-winning teacher near a bustling railway station. An attempted rape was also reported, compounding fears about public safety.
Taking to social media, Patnaik posted in Odia on X:
“Unrest in the state capital is growing, and there is an alarming rise in terror… Bullets are flying in broad daylight, and criminals are freely roaming the streets without hindrance.”
He accused the BJP government of being “reactive” rather than proactive, claiming that delayed police action is emboldening criminals.
Patnaik, who served as CM for 24 years before the BJP’s 2024 electoral victory, urged the administration to implement strict reforms to restore public confidence.
The criticism comes amid national attention on women’s safety, following the gang-rape of an Odisha woman in West Bengal earlier this week.
As Bhubaneswar reels from a day of bloodshed, the political temperature in Odisha continues to rise.
