Women not safe even in police stations: Naveen Patnaik

BHUBANESWAR: A day after demanding a court-monitored SIT probe and a judicial inquiry into the alleged sexual assault of a woman in custody, Opposition BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Saturday said "women are not safe even inside police stations."

Patnaik made these remarks while addressing party leaders from Kendrapara and Gajapati districts at the BJD’s state headquarters, Sankha Bhavan.

He expressed concern, saying, "It's sad that women are not safe even inside police stations in Bhubaneswar and government servants are beaten up in Raj Bhavan. It seems there’s no law and order in the state."

This comment was in reference to the September 15 incident involving the alleged torture of an army officer and the sexual harassment of his fiancée at Bharatpur police station and the physical assault on an on-duty government employee allegedly by the governor’s son earlier.

Patnaik, the Leader of the Opposition in Odisha Assembly, also addressed the BJD Scheduled Caste Cell, urging party leaders to raise awareness about the "false" poll promises made by the BJP concerning the Subhadra Yojana, pension and allowances, and free electricity.

The BJD has consistently claimed that the BJP has failed to fulfill its promises to the electorate. Despite pledging to provide Rs 50,000 to all women in the state within two years, the BJP later denied many women this opportunity, the party claimed. It said that women aged 21 to 60 were selected as beneficiaries of the Subhadra Yojana.

Patnaik instructed party leaders to inform the public about the BJP’s "lies" regarding promises of 300 units of free electricity and a Rs 3,500 old-age pension, emphasising the need to highlight these issues among people.