A recent disclosure in the Legislative Assembly on Monday, September 22, 2025, confirmed a troubling surge in crimes against women across Odisha. Since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took office, a staggering 37,611 cases have been officially reported.
Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, who also oversees the Home portfolio, shared these disturbing figures in response to a question from Congress MLA Sofia Firdous. The data, covering June 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025, includes a wide spectrum of offenses: rape, attempted rape, molestation, sexual harassment, and even public disrobing.
Breaking down the statistics, molestation emerged as the most frequent crime, accounting for 9,181 instances. This was closely followed by 8,227 cases of women’s abduction, 6,134 cases of non-dowry torture, and 5,464 cases of dowry-related torture. Additionally, 2,933 rape cases, 1,278 incidents of sexual harassment, and 2,161 public disrobing incidents were recorded during this 14-month span.
Despite the high number of reported incidents, convictions remain low, with only 799 cases leading to a verdict. Of these, 426 convictions were specifically for rape.
The legislative body was also apprised that Odisha has seen crimes against women exceed the 30,000 mark three times in the last five years. The year 2021 was particularly grim, logging 35,326 cases, while both 2023 and 2024 also consistently reported figures above 30,000.
In his written response, Chief Minister Majhi affirmed that critical and sensitive cases involving women, such as rape, sexual assault on minors, and acid attacks, are under direct monitoring and supervision by senior police officials, including Superintendents and Additional SPs. He also emphasized that community policing initiatives, like ‘Ama Police Samiti’ outreach programs, are actively encouraging women to report issues to the police without fear.
He further noted that Investigative Units on Crime Against Women (IUCAW) are operational in 29 districts, specifically handling significant and sensitive cases. Additionally, the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), accessible via dial-112, provides timely, prompt, and sensitive assistance to women in urgent situations.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the functioning of 24 special courts established under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) to accelerate trials for sexual offenses against children. District police forces are also reportedly increasing patrols in key public areas to deter sexual harassment of women.
Concerns over a rise in self-immolation cases involving women and girls have led to directives for all district superintendents of police, urging prompt action on complaints from women and girls.