Odisha Gopalpur Gang Rape: Congress Sends All-Women Fact-Finding Team, Slams BJP Govt Over Crimes
New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday constituted a five-member fact-finding team of its women leaders to visit Odisha and submit a comprehensive report on the alleged rise in atrocities against women and reports of a large number of women missing in the state.
The initiative comes in the wake of the horrific rape incident of a college girl at Gopalpur in Odisha on Sunday.
Congress general secretary Deepa Dansmunshi will be the convener of the five-member panel, which also includes three MPs.
"In light of the horrific rape incident reported from Gopalpur in Odisha, the increasing cases of atrocities against women, and the disturbing number of women reported missing-numbering in the thousands over the past few years-Hon'ble Congress President has deputed a fact-finding team to visit Odisha and submit a comprehensive report on the situation," AICC general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal, said in a statement.
He said the fact-finding team comprises Deepa Dasmunshi (convener), MPs Ranjeet Ranjan, Praniti Shinde and S Jothimani, and Shobha Oza.
A 20-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped by around 10 people at an isolated place on Gopalpur beach, a renowned tourist destination in Odisha, police said.
A case was registered at the Gopalpur police station after the survivor, an undergraduate student of a private college, lodged an FIR on Monday.
The incident took place on Sunday night when the woman, who lives in a private mess along with three other women, went to the beach along with her boyfriend, who is her classmate, on the occasion of Raj festival.
The woman, in her complaint, said when they were sitting at an isolated place, a group of 10 people approached them, detained her boyfriend and took turns to rape her.
Earlier, addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters, All India Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba said Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself campaigns in Odisha and wins votes from half the population by promising them security.
"But if you look at Odisha's report card of 11 months, 15 rape cases are reported here every day; in 10 months, 4,500 daughters are pleading for justice in different places of the state, and in 11 months, 28,000 women and daughters of the state have become victims of atrocities. Where do criminals get so much courage from?" she asked.
Expressing deep worry at the incidents happening in Odisha, Lamba said the BJP government in Odisha has completed one year and alleged that this year has been very dangerous and dreadful for the sisters, daughters and women of Odisha.
Odisha Mahila Congress president Meenakshi Bahinipati alleged that crimes against women like rape and murder are increasing under the BJP government in Odisha.
"For example, the recent gang rape of the tourist is shameful. With regard to this, the Mahila Congress women in Odisha came together and gheraoed the Vidhan Sabha. We also wrote to the CM, informing him about the situation. After the Vidhan Sabha gherao, the Congress leaders were suspended from the Vidhan Sabha," she said.
Odisha MLA Sofiya Firdous said a kind of darkness has spread in Odisha, where women were promised security in the state, but today women here have been pushed into darkness.
"This is not our Odisha. Women empowerment has been the identity of Odisha. Here 'Raj Parv' is celebrated dedicated to the fertility and power of women," she said, expressing sadness over three gang rape incidents having taken place in the state during the Raj Parv.
"In Gopalpur, when a girl goes to the beach with her friend on the day of Raj Parv, she is gang-raped by 10 men. In such a situation, every girl of Odisha has only one question -- when will we get justice?" she asked.
Disclaimer: This is a syndicated feed. The article is not edited by the FPJ editorial team.
news