Odisha: oppn asks Patnaik's resignation over rapes

The Opposition in Odisha demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik alleging that his government had miserably failed to control the law and order situation particularly the sudden increase in the incidents of rape of minor girls and missing children from across the state.

The five-time chief minister, who also is the president of the ruling BJD, heads the home department.

The issue rocked the state Assembly for the second consecutive day on Tuesday with the Opposition, the BJP and the Congress, members disrupting the proceedings of the house.

This forced Speaker Surya Narayan Patra to adjourn the Assembly repeatedly. Even the important Question Hour of the house was not possible on Tuesday as the slogan shouting Opposition members blocked the proceedings right from the beginning.

“The chief minister has no morale right to continue in office”, said leader of the Congress legislature party Narasingha Mishra.

More than five cases of rape of minors have been reported from different districts in the last couple of days.

Of these, three have been reported from the tribal dominated western Odisha districts of Sundergarh. Similarly, more than five hundred minor children have reportedly gone missing from different districts in the last three months.

It is suspected that individual criminals as well as organised gangs have suddenly become active in the state and are kidnapping small children to engage them in begging and other activities.

The Opposition alleges that the incidents of minors' rape and kidnapping cases have gone up in the state as the government and the police are not doing enough to check crimes.

The ruling BJD leaders denied the allegations saying that in all the cases related to rape of minors, the culprits have been arrested.

Similarly, more than half of the missing children have been rescued through a special drive launched by the state police.