Violence against women up, admits Naveen

BHUBANESWAR: Admitting in the Assembly that the number of atrocities against women in the State is increasing, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Monday that it would be improper to discuss the Pipili incident. “In fact, there has been an increase in crimes against women. This is not limited to Odisha, an all-India phenomenon,” he said. Naveen was replying to the adjournment motion on rising atrocities against women in the State moved by the Opposition Congress.   Asserting that his Government is committed to protect all women of the State, the Chief Minister said the police were seriously registering all cases of violence against women. Responding to the charges of the Opposition against the police officers  investigating the Pipili incident, the Chief Minister said the Crime Branch of Police had submitted the chargesheet which is pending before the court of law. Besides, the Orissa High Court is monitoring the case. “I do not think it is appropriate to discuss the matter (Pipili case) in the Assembly as the case is being probed by a judicial commission,” the Chief Minister said. Even though the law enforcing agencies are combating crimes against women, the Chief Minister said the Government had taken a holistic approach to empower the women to fight injustice and violence against them. He listed out the number of measures taken by his Government for women empowerment. Initiating the debate on the motion, Congress Chief Whip Prasad Harichandan alleged that attempts were made from the beginning to prove that the Pipili incident was not a rape case. The Government and the State Commission for Women have been claiming that the incident was not a rape case and accordingly, the Crime Branch prepared its report. More galling is that the Government has not initiated any action against the doctors who had failed in their duty by denying treatment to the victim, he said. However, the Government took prompt action against a few service doctors for alleged malpractice during PG entrance examination, Harichandan said. Launching a scathing attack on the Government, Pratap Sarangi, Independent, said the ruling party was trying to out do the Congress on the number of atrocities against women. The members of Treasury Bench think that crime committed by the BJD supporters is not cognisable so long as there is a popular mandate in favour of the party, he said.  Several ruling party members, including Damodar Rout, Padmanabha Behera, Nrusingh Sahu and Ashok Panda tried to defend the Government. Not satisfied with the reply of the Chief Minister, the Congress members staged a walkout.