Listen to complainants, especially women, diligently: Odisha CM tell cops

Amid an outrage over the conduct of Odisha police officials in the case of alleged assault of the fiancée of an Indian Army Captain earlier this month, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday asked the cops to listen to complainants, especially women, diligently when they visit police station even if it is at 2 O’clock in the night.
“Police officials should diligently listen to complaints of everyone, particularly women when they visit police station even at 2 in the night. I go to bed at 2 in the night and work late hours in the Lok Seva Bhawan (state secretariat). So, police should not limit themselves to 8 hours duty period and try to work for 24 hours,” said Majhi at the concluding day of a two-day conference of superintendents of police and district collectors in Bhubaneswar.
On Sunday last, Majhi had ordered a judicial probe by a retired judge of Orissa high court into the allegations of sexual assault against the inspector of Bhubaneswar’s Bharatpur police station by the fiancée of an Indian Army Captain when they went there late night to lodge a first information report (FIR) in a case of road rage. The government has suspended the inspector and four other cops in the case and initiated a probe by the state CID.
Expressing his concern over poor conviction rates on cases concerning crime against women, Majhi asked director general of police (DGP) YB Khurania to furnish district-wise data of crime against women, conviction pending status and other information within a week.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always focused on safety of women and children. The Odisha government is also committed to zero tolerance against crime against women and children. Stern action will be taken against all, including the powerful and influential people, in such criminal cases. Our government always stands with the police force, but it will not tolerate corruption, irregularities and misuse of power by anybody,” Majhi said.
On Friday, Majhi spoke of police high-handedness during the previous regime while narrating how a police inspector in his home district of Keonjhar misbehaved with him and asked him to get out of the police station. “I had gone to the police station and called some officials there. When we began the process of resolving the issue, the inspector-in-charge of the police station got enraged and started shouting at me. He also asked me to ‘get out’. Doesn’t an MLA or a candidate have the right to visit a police station and file a complaint if he is subjected to any attack,” Majhi said.
Noting that the conviction rate in cases relating to crime against women was just 9.7% in Odisha till 2022, the CM said this is highly disappointing and the government will not tolerate this. “You must take stern action against criminals irrespective of their posts, positions,” he said.
The chief minister said the low conviction rate implies two things – either there are some lapses in police investigation or lack of intent on the part of the department for speedy trial.
Asserting that the state government is committed to ensuring zero tolerance against crime against women and children, Majhi said stern action will be taken against even the powerful and influential people.
Majhi said that a massive roadmap has been drawn in this regard. A special battalion will come up for Puri Temple and 1,043 personnel will be recruited. The personnel will also be used for the smooth conduct of Rath Yatra. Apart from this, the state government has also decided to recruit 2,098 home guards. As many as 9,000 motorcycles will be provided and each police station will have extra four-wheeler in this regard so that the officials can respond to emergency situations, he added.
Hailing the Odisha Police as a disciplined, people-friendly and efficient force, the CM said there could be some deviation, but the state has earned reputation of being a peaceful state. Describing law and order and crime control as the top priorities of the government, he said police play a crucial role in protecting the lives of people. Due to efficient policing measures, elections were conducted in an incident-free manner in left-wing extremism (LWE)-affected districts this year.