Bhubaneswar: The BJP's mahila morcha on Thursday launched a statewide campaign to highlight the rising incidents of crime against women even as four cases rape of minor girls were reported from various parts of the state.
The cases were reported from Cuttack, Balasore and Ganjam districts.
The BJP women's wing began its 11-day Mahila Suraksha Yatra from seven places, each being a Devi peeth (the seat of a female deity). While morcha chief Pravati Parida set out with her band of supporters from the Mangala temple at Kakatpur in Puri district, other party leaders led the groups of slogan-shouting workers from Bhadrak, Sambalpur, Cuttack, Balangir, Ganjam and Khurda districts.
During the course of the yatra, the party leaders will address 450 public meetings and hope to reach out to around one crore people across the state, sensitising them on the issue of women's security while highlighting the failure of the state government in this regard.
"Women are completely unsafe in the Naveen Patnaik regime. Even young girls are being raped and killed. Our campaign is meant to rouse this government from its deep slumber," said Parida.
The party's only woman legislator, Radharani Panda, who led the yatra from Sambalpur, also hit out at the government for failing to protect the honour of women. "Cases of atrocities against women are on the rise. We are seeking people's support to highlight the issue," said Panda.
Statistics show that rape cases are on the rise in the state. While 2,144 such cases had been reported in 2016, the number rose to 2,221 in 2017. While charge sheets have been filed in 1,401 cases, 943 cases have been included under the red flag category, according them priority treatment.
BJP leader Surama Padhi said the government, instead of bringing the criminals to book, was encouraging them. "Had the government arrested the culprits in the Kunduli case, this situation would not have arisen," she said.
However, BJD leader and transport minister Nrusingha Sahoo dismissed the charges as politically motivated.
