Women’s safety under fire, Mahila congress slams BJP government
Bhubaneswar, Sep 24 (UNI) Odisha Mahila Congress today criticized the BJP government for failing to ensure women’s safety in the state.
The women’s wing of the Pradesh Congress Committee staged a sit-in dharna before the state Assembly, protesting atrocities, rapes, and murders of women in Odisha.
Hundreds of women activists, led by State Women’s Congress President Minakshi Bahinipati, marched in a procession from Congress Bhawan towards the Assembly but were blocked by
police deployed at Mahatma Gandhi Marg.
The activists broke through the police barricade, leading to a scuffle with the security forces. The police eventually prevented them from proceeding further and took several into custody.
Addressing the gathering, Bahinipati said women in Odisha are unsafe, including female students in government and private educational institutions, hostels, and ashrams.
She alleged that while fifteen women fall victim to gang rape every day, the Mohan government has failed to protect them.
Bahinipati cited incidents ranging from the self-immolation of a student at Balasore FM Autonomous College to gang rapes and murders in Talcher, Kendujhar, and Gopalpur Beach, highlighting the precarious safety of women in Odisha.
She accused the government of often siding with perpetrators rather than victims and announced
that Mahila Congress would continue its movement until proper safety measures are implemented and justice delivered.
National Women’s Congress Odisha in-charge Tulika Karma stated that the voices of women protesting increasing atrocities must be heard.
She condemned the Odisha BJP government as anti-women and demanded the resignation of the Mohan government, questioning how ordinary women can be safe when even female police
officers face insecurity.
Karma added that from villages to Delhi, the Women’s Congress will intensify protests for women’s safety in Odisha.
Former PCC Presidents Niranjan Pattnaik and Jayadev Jena, Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati, Ramchandra Kadam, Ashok Das, Sophia Firdous, senior state Congress leaders, State Women’s Congress leaders, and leaders from various district Women’s Congress units participated in the program.
