Odisha Sees Rise in Crimes Against Women Amid Justice System Lapses

Fast Summary

• Recent Crimes: A 15-year-old girl in Puri, Odisha was allegedly abducted, assaulted, and set ablaze; she is in critical condition at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar.
• Previous Incidents:

– A 20-year-old Balasore student died after immolating herself, alleging neglect of sexual harassment complaints by her collage.
– In February, a Nepali student committed suicide at KIIT University causing campus unrest and diplomatic tensions involving Nepal.

• Crime Statistics:

– Odisha ranked fourth in crimes against women court cases from 2017-2022 but had one of the lowest conviction rates during this period (below 10% annually).
– The chargesheeting rate dropped from fifth best nationally (91.2% in 2017) to one of the worst (71.4%) by 2022.

• Pending Cases & High Rates:

– In crimes against women sent for trial until last yearS end, over 95% remained pending-a high pendency rate nationally.
– Odisha recorded a considerably higher crime rate against women than the national average: around double India’s figure per lakh population.

Data cited from National Crime Records Bureau.

Indian Opinion Analysis

Odisha’s consistent placement among states with high rates of crimes against women coupled with low conviction rates signals systemic inefficiencies across policing and judicial processes. The downward trends in chargesheeting-combined with long pendency-deny justice to victims while fostering public distrust.

Comparatively lower conviction levels over multiple years suggest obstacles such as inadequate evidence collection or procedural lapses during inquiry and trials. High-profile cases like those detailed indicate gaps both at institutional levels where grievances seem unaddressed and within community engagement on women’s safety.

The situation calls for urgent interventions aimed at improving police responsiveness, faster judicial processing mechanisms, and stepped-up public accountability measures to tackle gender violence effectively. Addressing these endemic issues may also avert reputational risks that could discourage academic or professional migration into Odisha due to perceptions around safety.

Read more: The Hindu Article