Cong demands white paper on spate of rapes in state, spl assembly session to discuss issue

Amid a country-wide outrage over a spate of rapes and brutalisation of victims, the Odisha Congress on Thursday demanded a white paper from the Naveen Patnaik government on the disturbingly high rate of eight heinous anti-women crimes daily in the state itself.

Intensifying its stir over the rising rape cases in the state, the opposition Congress also demanded the convening of a special session of the state assembly to discuss the issue.

The women workers of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee held a demonstration near the party's state headquarters at Master Canteen and burnt effigies of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Women and Child Development Minister Tukuni Sahu besides demanding their resignation.

The Mahila Congress members also submitted a memorandum to the State Commission for Women's Chairperson Minati Behera, urging her to take steps to secure women and girls across the state as Odisha, where they said, at least eight rape cases are registered daily.

Of the 8 rape cases being registered in the state, four are those of the crime against minor girls, said OPCC spokesman S P Nayak.

He also asked the state government to publish a white paper on the matter, which he said, has left each and every person of the state concerned.

The opposition party also ridiculed the state government for adjourning the winter session of the assembly ahead of its schedule and demanded a special session of the House to discuss on the crime against women.

The party has launched the agitation seeking justice for the minor girl, who was allegedly raped in Puri on December 2 by two persons including a former constable.

Though police have so far arrested two persons, including former constable Jitendra Sethi, allegedly involved in the Puri gang rape case, two other accused are still at large.

Police have formed four special squads to nab the accused persons, but no such success till Thursday evening.

Meanwhile, a woman claiming to be the second wife of the former constable, accused her ex-husband of running a sex racket at the police quarters in Puri.

She also alleged that Sethis first wife, who too is a police constable, also helps him in the crime.

The gang rape of the minor had taken place at the police quarters allotted in the name of Sethi's wife, the woman claimed.

The police, however, refused to react on the woman's allegations, saying that they were investigating the matter "with all seriousness" and are likely to file chargesheet in the case within 20 days from the date of offence, December 2.

Meanwhile, the police in the state capital on Wednesday night arrested a man for allegedly raping his colleague, working in a private hospital in Khandagiri area. The accused was identified as Jagannath Mohanty.