Odisha: 3 rape cases, disappearance of woman teacher in one week raise questions on safety

BHUBANESWAR: A spate of crimes against women, including three cases of alleged gang rapes in different districts of Odisha, and the mysterious disappearance of a 23-year-old teacher from a school in Kalahandi, all in the span of a week, has sparked serious concerns about the safety of women in the state.
On Dussehra, two women were allegedly gang-raped at separate places in Mayurbhanj district. In the first incident, a woman was reportedly offered lift by two persons on a bike. The accused allegedly raped her on the banks of the Khairibandan river under the Raruan Police limits. Police have detained five persons in connection with the case.
In the second incident, a college student was allegedly abducted by three persons in the Baisinga police area and raped. Three arrests were made following the incident.
Two persons were arrested by Papadahandi police in Nabarangpur district on Sunday for allegedly kidnapping and raping a minor girl last week.
The incident, involving the disappearance of the woman school teacher in neighbouring Kalahandi district, has triggered a massive public outrage. Her family has alleged that she might have been raped and murdered.
It must be noted that according to the latest NCRB report, crimes against women in Odisha increased by nearly 10 per cent last year from 2019. While 23,183 cases related to such crimes were registered in 2019, the figure shot up to 25,489 in 2020. At 112.9 crimes per 1 lakh population, Odisha is second only to Assam, which sees 154.3 crimes per 1 lakh population.
The women’s safety issue is likely to snowball into a major political controversy ahead of the panchayat elections as the name of the minister of state for home, Dibya Shankar Mishra, has been doing the rounds in connection with the disappearance of the schoolteacher belonging to Balangir. The ruling party has reason to worry as Dibya Shankar has been accused of trying to shield the accused in the disappearance of the Kalahandi schoolteacher case.
“Women are unsafe in the state. The state government only talks of taking measures for the safety of women. There is a strong suspicion that the schoolteacher might have been raped and murdered. Dibya Shankar was trying to protect the school’s president Govind Sahu, who had escaped from the custody of Balangir police on Sunday. The minister should resign,” BJP state president Samir Mohanty said.
Congress MLA Santosh Singh Saluja, too, hit out at the BJD. “Women continue to come under attack almost every day. The NCRB report has exposed the government’s failure in ensuring the safety of women. The name of the minister Dibya Shankar being linked to the teacher missing incident is a case in point,” he added.
The BJD, however, rubbished the allegations. “The government is committed to ensuring that women are safe in the state. Those involved in crimes against women have never been spared by the state government. The police are taking the case of the missing schoolteacher very seriously. Investigation is under way,” senior BJD leader Debi Mishra said.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)