President of the BJP Mahila Morcha, Prabhati Parida said the shelter homes change religion of inmates especially the boys and girls from the tribal community.
Parida further alleged, "Not only are girls being sexually abused in these shelter homes, young boys are also victims in the hands of sexual predators. Foreigners used to visit the shelter home and torture children. Besides, some of them were even trafficked to abroad," she alleged.
Moreover, the Mahila Morcha chief stated that the members of the board of the shelter homes are foreigners as its head office is in USA.
Parida said the State government had only given recognition to the Nandapur shelter home in Bhadrak but the Minister is now denying grant of recognition. "The Women and Child Development minister Prafulla Samal should own up the responsibility and immediately resign on moral grounds," she added.
"Not only are girls being sexually abused in these shelter homes, young boys are also victims in the hands of sexual predators. The missionaries are used for conversion purposes. Minister should resign on moral grounds," says BJP's Prabhati Parida on #ShelterHomeShame #Odisha pic.twitter.com/UwVv9maeoR
— OTV (@otvnews) December 3, 2018
The BJP fact-finding team will take stock of the situation at the 26 shelter homes run by the Good News India NGO, she said.
On the other hand, Odisha DGP RP Sharma has directed SPs of all districts to submit a report on the number of registered and unregistered shelter homes running in each district along with details on whether any illegal activity is being carried out in these shelter homes.
Meanwhile, the minister said raids are being conducted at different shelter homes of the organisation. Besides, the collectors have been asked to shift inmates from shelter homes if they find any deviation.
A team comprising Bhadrak Sub-Collector Sucharu Bala and District Welfare Committee conducted raids at the Nandapur Shelter Home and quizzed the inmates. Sources said 164 inmates including 79 girls are staying at the Nandapur Shelter home.
Briefing media persons, Sharma said, "There are no such gangs and no cases of child theft have been reported anywhere."
He appealed the citizens to restrain from spreading such rumours and stop attacking innocent people on suspicion of child lifting."The rumour has gone viral on social media messages leaving the people in panic. With the fear running deep down, they have started attacking any stranger they spot in the locality," said Sharma.
“Even if someone is found behaving suspiciously, they must first approach the police and report the matter, “said the DGP adding that SPs of all districts have been instructed to keep a strict vigil in their respective areas.
Expressing disappointment over the attack on innocent people in some parts of the State, Sharma said, "No such gangs have come under the police scanner. The news that they are arriving from the neighbouring States is totally false," he said.
Notably, incidents of mob attacks on innocents mistaken as child-lifters were today reported from Ganjam, Rayagada and Nayagarh districts.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the cash reward soon after concerned Superintendents of Police of both the districts and headquarters' officers briefed the former about the recent anti-Maoist operations, informed DGP, RP Sharma today.
"Apart from the existing financial assistance, the Chief Minister has announced additional cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for Kandhamal and Bolangir police. This will certainly boost the morale of security forces as well as police engaged in anti-Naxal operations in different parts of the State," said Sharma.
Sharma further informed that such encouragement will help the police officers engaged in Left Wing Extremism-infested areas to discharge their duties with utmost dedication.
Sources said that the Odisha CM announced the special award after the efforts of Odisha Police garnered praise from different quarters.
Following recent successes of the Odisha Police, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had spoken to Naveen Patnaik over phone and congratulated the State police and acknowledged their efforts in tackling Maoist menace.
At least seven Maoists were gunned down by police and security forces in separate encounters in Kandhamal and Bolangir districts earlier this week.
Five Maoists were killed during a combing operation at Sudukumpa forest in Kandhamal's Golanki village, while two were killed in Dudkamal village of Bolangir district.
We felt the need for organising a powerful public awareness campaign to eradicate such social evil. The mega campaign will be organised in every district of Odisha from May 28 to June 12. It will be monitored by a special cell of Crime Branch and supervised by IG of Police (Headquarters) Asheet Kumar Panigrahi. SPs of all the districts and other designated officers will implement the campaign in cooperation with the district collectors, said Sharma.
The idea behind the campaign is to sensitise the children, their parents and general public about the social evil and secondly to encourage them to report such matter to police instead of suppressing it. "The campaign will also help sensitizing the people about the legal implications of the crime that includes capital punishment for raping a minor below 12 years of age and life imprisonment in some cases. The information about the strict legal provisions may have a deterrent effect," stated the DGP adding that the event will be organised in collaboration with UNICEF.
15 specially designed vehicles with LCD screen to play audio visual messages will be allotted, one for two districts, to carry printed posters, leaflets, pamphlets, handouts and LCD screen. SPs of all the districts have been asked to prepare a route chart for the campaign. Focus will be on districts that have registered the maximum number of minor girl assault cases.
The campaign will be flagged off from the State Police Headquarters on May 28. The specially designed vehicles known as 'Pari Rath' will cover the district headquarters, blocks and panchayats. On May 12, there will be a valedictory function in Bhubaneswar, Sharma informed.
The Home Ministry has also set up a multi-disciplinary group comprising of ED, National Investigation Agency (NIA), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), State Intelligence Bureau and Crime Investigation Department (CID) to choke Naxal funding in States including Odisha.
"Two meetings in connection with Maoist funding have been conducted in Delhi that were attended by authorities of ED, NIA, other financial institutions and officers of Maoist affected States. Discussions were held on the sources of Maoist funding and what cases have been registered till date. Further information will be revealed after a probe by the ED," said DGP RP Sharma.
As per reports, the Maoist leaders extort the money from contractors, mine owners, transporters and small or medium entrepreneurs in name of their organisation. This money is often diverted into their own accounts which they use to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle.
Secretary of CPI (Maoist) Malkangiri Division Committee Uday, Chief of the Srikakulam-Koraput division committee of CPI (Maoist) Aruna, Maoist leader of Kalimela Dalam of the CPI (Maoist) Arjun Hantal and Secretary of Kudumulu Gumma committee of CPI (Maoist) Sudhir are few names who are under the scanner of ED.
"The leaders of Polit Bureau and Central Committee of the CPI (Maoist) have hoarded large amount of wealth and enjoying luxurious life. On the other hand they preach people about Communism. If a list is prepared about the source of the money and where is it being invested it will be a severe jolt to Naxal movement," said Former DGP SN Tiwari.
The proof of Naxal leaders hoarding large amount of money came to light in 2017 after member of Bihar-Jharkhand special area committee of the CPI (Maoists) Pradyuman Sharma paid Rs 22 lakh to a private college for admission of his niece. Similarly, another member of the CPI (Maoists), Sandeep Yadav, gave Rs 15 lakh for exchange during the demonetisation. Further, another senior leader, Arvind Yadav, paid Rs 12 lakh towards fees for his brother to study in a private engineering college.
After receiving the proofs, the Enforcement Directorate registered cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against the leaders and have attached their properties worth Rs 1.5 crore.
The National Commission had earlier issued letters to the Collector and the SP to appear before the office of its Chairman in person along with relevant documents for the hearing in the case.
The 14-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by four men in uniform on October 10, 2017. Later, the girl committed suicide on January 22, 2018 when family members were not at home.
On February 12, National Commission for Scheduled Castes member Yogendra Paswan had visited Kunduli and met the victim’s family members as part of its ongoing inquiry into the case that had then sparked public outrage in Odisha.
Talking to media persons in connection with the case, Sharma said Crime Branch IG Arun Bothra is personally monitoring the case.
"Crime Branch officials including IG Arun Bothra is camping at Patnagarh for investigation of the parcel bomb case and are checking each and every dimension. We hope working on the leads they have found till date will be helpful to solve the case," said Sharma.
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Earlier on April 12, Reema Sahu, the lone survivor in the parcel bomb explosion, in which two persons including her husband Soumyasekhar was killed, was discharged from SCB Medical College and Hospital.
She expressed displeasure over the ongoing investigation citing that the ‘culprits’ are still moving scot-free and demanded arrest of the courier company officials which accepted, despatched and delivered the killer parcel.
Gujarat Home Minister PS Jadeja on Monday stated that "The identity of the victim minor girl is still not clear and she might be from Odisha. So far, police have not got any clues about her family. We have contacted the Odisha DGP in this connection.”
Jadeja further informed that already efforts are on to ascertain the identity of the minor girl and her picture is being checked against photos of 8,000 missing children.
Posters of the deceased girl have been printed and the CCTV footage from where the body of the minor was recovered on April 6 is also being examined.
From the post-mortem of the deceased, it has been ascertained that the victim girl is nearly 11 years old and she was held captive and raped before being killed.
As the body carries 86 injury marks, it is believed that the she was subjected to torture before she was strangulated to death, informed sources.
“We have received a communication yesterday evening from Gujarat police regarding the minor girl whose body was recovered from near a cricket field on April 6. As they suspect that the deceased girl might be from Odisha, they have asked us to cooperate in the investigation,” said Odisha DGP RP Sharma.
Sharma further said that all the district superintendents have been asked to examine the cases of missing children reported in their respective regions.
Kunu, reportedly a native of Taparsingha village under Jujumara police limits in Sambalpur, was a part of the military wing of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) organisation and involved in Maoist activities in Sambalpur, Deogarh and adjoining areas.
Addressing a presser in Bhubaneswar, DG Police RP Sharma said, “Kunu Dehury was very active being the divisional committee secretary. He has been spearheading all the Naxal activities in three four districts and adjoining areas like Rourkela and Angul.”
The DGP further said, “Kunu joined the Naxal cadre in 2002, when the organisation was being called Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) and later on in 2004 he continued his activities with the CPI (Maoists) organisation. He has been a dreaded Maoist in that area and involved in as many as 51 criminal cases mostly in Sambalpur, Deogarh and Rourkela police districts. We had been tracking his movement for quite some time in the particular division and there was a cash reward of Rs 8 lakhs on his head.”
Sharma revealed that Kunu surrendered primarily due to loss of faith in the ideology of the Maoists and also in view of the continued counter Naxal operations by the security forces in this division.
The Odisha DGP stated, “We need to examine him in detail about his various activities and all other issues connected to him. With this significant success of Odisha police, I must congratulate SOGs and DVFs of these divisions. Because of their continued efforts, Kunu had to surrender. I hope that with his surrender, the Maoists activities in these divisions will get substantially weakened.”
[caption id="attachment_288158" align="alignnone" width="262"] Kunu Dehury[/caption]
Informing about the steps the government would take for his rehabilitation, Sharma informed, “We will treat him as per the Surrender Policy of Government of Odisha and the screening committee and rehabilitation committee at the district level would decide in accordance with the provision of surrender policy to give whatever benefits he is entitled to after surrender.”
The benefits, with the cadre of his level, include a cash of Rs 2.5 lakh, provision of homestead land and also house building construction amount, Sharma added.
During the ocassion, Patnaik awarded cash prizes to police personnel for their exceptional services and also felicitated some retired officers.
"As the 83rd Odisha Police Formation Day is celebrated along with Utkal Dibasa today, I extend my hearty greetings to all police personnel and people of Odisha. Modernisation, training, specialisation and maintaining law and order are our priority," said DGP RP Sharma while attending the event in Cuttack.
The 83rd Odisha Police Formation Day 2018 was also observed at the reserve police barrack in Bhubaneswar.
Police Commissioner YB Khurania attended the event and awarded 18 police personnel for their distinguished services.
Balasore SP Jugal Kishor Kumar Banoth inspected the parade and took the salute at the 83rd Odisha Police Formation Day celebrations organised at Reserve Police Line field in Balasore.
He also felicitated six police personnel during the event.
Similarly, Rourkela SP Uma Shankar Dash awarded Bikash Swain as the Best Sub-Inspector and Narayan Dalai as Best Assistant Sub-Inspector during while Police Formation Day celebrations in steel city.
The Formation Day celebration at the Armed Reserve Police field in Keonjhar was attended by Kavita Jalan DIG (WR). Similarly, Gajapati SP Amulya Kumar Das attended the celebrations at Reserve Police field in Paralakhemundi.
Rayagada Collector Guha Poonam Tapas Kumar along with various senior officials of CRPF and Odisha Police attended the 83rd Odisha Police Formation Day 2018 celebrations at Reserve Police field in Chandili of Rayagada district.
"The operation which took place on the intervening night of March 25 and March 26 is not only a major successful operation for Koraput police but an achievement in anti-Maoist operations of Odisha Police after many years," said the DGP.
While security forces will adhere to Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) while dealing with Left Wing Extremism (LWE), the rebels will also be appealed to join the mainstream, informed Sharma.
Steps to strengthen intelligence network in the area were also discussed in the meeting that was attended by South Western Range DIG S Shyni, ADG (Operations) RP Koche and Director Intelligence Sunil Roy among others.
Sharma further informed that Odisha Police has been trying to strengthen its ties with central armed police forces over the last six to seven months. "We are planning redeployment of BSF personnel in cut-off areas of Malkangiri in coming days. Completion of Gurupriya Bridge will be helpful in intensifying anti- Naxal operations," said Sharma.
Soon after the launch, Sharma addressing the media said, “Today we entered in the era of e-Office at police headquarters. The file movements, its disposal will be faster. With better monitoring, we can maintain the efficiency. There are still certain issues which need to get sorted out. An agency will also be engaged to help us in scanning all the files. It will give us a detail of all the pending files under each section.”
He further said, "Since we deal with a lot of files that pass through several stages physically, it is not only cumbersome but time consuming. By implementing e-Office, our paper work will reduce by 80 percent. There will be no physical files to be dealt in the Police headquarters after June, 2018. Our endeavour would be to finally reduce it to zero percent and achieve the goal of paperless office."
"After the implementation of e-Office at the Headquarters it will be easy for the Range and District level offices to follow suit. It would be slightly inconvenient for those who are not computer savvy but with little effort everybody will overcome the handicap and start enjoying working on e-Office because of its user friendly nature. The e-Office will ensure transparency, effectiveness, accountability and convenience,” Sharma added.
At present, the CMGI is implementing e-Office in ten Directorates and four District Collectorates and will implement e-Office in all the Directorates and Collectorates by December this year, sources said.
Executive Director, CMGI & IG, Personnel Sanjaya Kumar Singh stated that e-Office is an Office Automation System, developed by NIC and CMGI (Center for Modernizing Government Initiatives) is the State Implementing Agency for Odisha. Singh further reiterated that implementation of e-Office at the State Police Headquarters is an excellent example of actualising the 3T Mantra of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, i.e., Team Work, Technology and Transparency.
He emphasised that with the implementation of e-Office, the service will be faster and it will boost the productivity and quality and also strengthen transparency of service offered.
Dr. RN Behera, Senior Technical Director, NIC told that implementation of e-Office will replace the physical paper files with electronic file system improving the operation efficiency of the Government bodies. As such, officers can quickly search the file over the network and track at which level the file is pending leading to quicker action on the files, he added.
Senior officers including Additional DGP (Provisioning) Satyajit Mohanty, Additional DGP Headquarters B Radhika, Law & Order IGP Amitabh Thakur, Project Coordinator CMGI Pinaki Mohanty, and NIC Technical Director B Satapathy were present during the e-Office launch at the Police Headquarters.
Addressing the conference Sharma stressed on strengthening police-public relationship. He said it is the primary responsibility of police to bring back the misguided youth, who have joined naxal outfits, to the mainstream and make them aware about the vocational opportunities available for them.
Odisha police has done a wonderful job in tackling Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) but as the problem still exists, there is a need to evolve the strategies, said Sharma.
He further emphasised on extensive use of technology to deal with the recent challenges faced by cops in maintaining law and order, organised crimes and other new emerging trends including cyber crimes.
The DGP further asked the officers to make use of available resources as there has been no proportionate increase of manpower.
E-office facility will be implemented from State Police headquarters and later in all police stations across Odisha.
Sharma further informed that Model Police stations will be set up in every district and asked all the SPs to send names of at least two police stations by March 25.
Sharma asked all the young SPs to open counselling centres for women related crimes in their respective districts. He told them to replicate the system that is running successfully at the Police Commissionerate since 2014.
The conference that will continue for three days will be attended by SPs of all districts, DCPs, Commandants of all Armed Police Battalions, Range IGs, DIGs and under-training IPS officers.
Similarly, senior officers of various police establishments as well as the Home Guards, Fire Services and Civil Defence Organisation, State Vigilance, Odisha State Police Housing and Welfare Corporation, Prison Organisation and OHRC are also participating in the conference that conclude on March 15.
Discussion on professional policing matters like law and order situation in the State, crime control measures, anti-Maoists strategy, effective use of social media, capacity building of police stations, people-friendly policing and ethical behaviour in policing will be discussed in the conference.
The Senior Police Officers’ Conference had not been held for over two years and several important issues including law and order and crime scenario and other issues that police needs to should focus on will be discussed for chalking out a strategy to tackle them.
As many as 13 DSPs and 97 SIs, passing out of the academy, took oath to serve the nation till their last breath.
"The passing out parade of first batch of DSPs, appointed under direct recruitment nearly after 40 years, and 97 Sub Inspector (Armed) cadets, in total 110 officers was held. They did an impressive parade," said Sharma, who was the Chief Guest at the event.
"The training of DSPs was as tough as the training curriculum of the Sub Inspectors, Deputy Subedars and Sergeants. Rather they received a bit more training including the commando course, Anti-Extremists Tactics," said Director of BPSPA, Manoj Kumar Chhabra.
After taking the salute the DGP said that the academy will be turned into a centre of excellence and selected trainers will be roped in from Telangana, Punjab and Maharashtra police to build it as the finest in the nation.
However, BPSPA's Director Chhabra said extension of the academy is not possible due to lack of land.
He also dedicated a new building of Baidyanathpur police station to public in presence of former minister and local MLA Pradeep Panigrahi, IG Ghanashyama Upadhyay (Southern) and DIG Asis Singh.
"The cyber police station will benefit the people of Ganjam and Koraput districts. Several police stations of Ganjam and Koraput are coming under its jurisdiction," Sharma said.
The DGP was given guard of honour at police guest house in the city on his arrival.
He is scheduled to inaugurate the new building of Marine police station in Sonepur and newly built reserve police building at Chhatrapur tomorrow before returning to Bhubaneswar.
It was his maiden tour to Ganjam district after he took over as the State police chief.
The amount of ganja destroyed is more than 50 percent of the amount destroyed in the previous year, he added. During 2015-16 and 2016-17, this figure was 2,457.73 acres and 3,599.191 acres respectively.
The highest, 2,227 acre ganja cultivation has been destroyed in Kandhamal district followed by Malkangiri and Koraput districts.
Sharma further informed that during 2017, as many as 420 cases were registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 700 persons were arrested and over 1. 861 kg brown sugar and 8,925 bottles of cough syrup were seized.
New guidelines for increased rewards to the officers involved, informers and other persons were issued in 2017 to encourage them to curb illicit cultivation of ganja, the DGP said.
He said a coordinated multidisciplinary approach supplemented by the use of satellites helped in achieving better results in inaccessible/interior areas in Maoist-affected districts like Kandhamal, Boudh, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Koraput.
The DGP said there was a sharp decline in illicit cultivation of ganja in several districts like Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul and Nayagarh due to the constant efforts made by the district police and an awareness drive.
Be it rape, murder, criminal assault, eve-teasing or incidents of drug abuse, students are now found involved in several other crimes which has now emerged as a major concern not only for the law enforcement agencies but also for the society on the whole, informed sources.
Taking stern note of the situation, Odisha DGP RP Sharma directed superintendents of police, DCPs of Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and SP Economic Offences Wing (EOW) to undertake special measures and drives to curb such crimes.
An advisory for authorities of educational institutions, police and parents has been issued by Odisha police to ensure that students do not indulge in violence on and outside campuses.
Senior officials at police stations have been asked to intensify patrolling, deploy adequate staff to put a check on entry of outsiders and anti-socials inside campuses and conduct orientation programme on crime-related issues.
The cops have been asked to sensitize students about legal consequences of taking law into hands and its impact on academic and professional career. Besides, stress will be laid on creating a student-friendly environment so that they can easily report incidents on their respective campuses.
The college authorities on the other hand have been asked to keep senior officials informed about any law and order situations and crimes happening in their respective educational institutions.
The college management should create a database of all students; install adequate CCTV cameras in campus, undertake counselling sessions and hold meetings with parents at regular intervals.
Sharma told mediapersons, "The chief minister has not given any directive to undertake a probe into the incident."
Expressing similar view, Cuttack DCP Akhileswar Singh said the DGP has not given any written directive to him. "If we get an instruction, we will look into different angles of the matter," Singh added.
The DGP's clarification came following reports in media that the CM had directed him to investigate the matter.
On December 20, Nayak was seen among top VIPs in the BCCI Box of Barabati Stadium during the T20 match.
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The BCCI Box is reserved for top class officers, ministers, sports persons and OCA members and only those with VVIP passes.
Nayak, who was arrested by CBI on November 18, 2014 for his alleged links with Seashore Group, was granted conditional bail by High Court in August 2017. It was alleged that Nayak acted as a middleman between the Seashore Group and influential persons in the State. His diary had also mentioned names of some top class bureaucrats during the raids by CBI.
Both the teams reached Biju Patnaik International Airport in a special plane from Visakhapatnam in the afternoon and were escorted to Mayfair Hotel amid tight security arrangements by Commissionerate Police.
Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) officials informed that both the teams are scheduled to undergo a practice at Barabati stadium tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Odisha DGP RP Sharma today took stock of the security arrangements made by Commissionerate Police at a review meeting held at the stadium today.
Over 63 platoons of police force will be deployed for the scheduled T20 international match between India and Sri Lanka to be played on Wednesday.
“The Commissionerate Police has made adequate security arrangements along the travel route of the players, including the airport, hotel and at the stadium,” said Sharma.
Sharma further stated that the entire Barabati Stadium will be under CCTV surveillance while extra focus has been given to ensure that no spectator is allowed to carry any article that can be used as a missile and thrown into the stadium during the match.
Police Commissioner YB Khurania informed that no water bottles will be allowed to the stadium and already a special advisory has been issued for spectators informing of which route to take to reach the venue and place for parking.
The Cuttack district administration on the other hand has also decided to install giant screens at multiple locations in Cuttack to facilitate fans who have not got tickets to watch the match.
https://youtu.be/H8qBO0euEWU
Addressing a two-day training programme on cyber crime investigation at Cuttack, Sharma said that number of cyber cases increased to 669 by October this year from 378 in 2016.
Stressing the importance of upgrading cyber forensic science, the DGP said there is an ever increasing need for forensic analysis and need to preserve data for use during trials and for that a forensic laboratory is almost ready to come up at the state science forensic laboratory.
“We used to send our samples for study to Hyderabad and Kolkata. We would be self sufficient to some extent,” the DGP said.
This year we are laying greater emphasis on registration of more number of cyber crimes but at the same time we have to develop our capabilities to handle those crimes. Now that the government has decided to establish three more cyber crime police stations in Berhampur, Rourkela and Sambalpur, we are proposing three more cyber crime cells at Balasore, Bhubaneswar for Commissionerate Police and another for Jeypore in Koraput, Sharma said.
https://youtu.be/bgxVRGuOzOk
From calling the police control room directly to getting latest news and updates of Rourkela police, a user can have all information at their fingertips.
The citizen connect mobile app was inaugurated by DGP RP Sharma through video conferencing today.
Also Read: Mobile app of commissionerate police to be updated
Once installed, users can directly make calls to police in case of any emergency while the dedicated control room will respond to such SOS calls round the clock.
In case of emergency, a quick action team and bulk of the PCRs can be rushed to the spot to rescue the person in distress, sources said.
Residents can also know the details of the auto rickshaw drivers by entering a 4 digit code issued to registered vehicles via the mobile app.
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A mobile phone user can also get the status of his/her FIR/ complain through e-mail via the mobile app which also contains important phone numbers of police officers, links of various websites and other important places within Rourkela.
RPF IG Atul Pathak while addressing the meeting directed officials to criminally prosecute agitators for ‘Rail Roko’.
The State Level Security Committee for Railways comprising senior officials of Odisha Police, GRP, RPF, and Intelligence Bureau was recently formed as per the direction of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
Discussions during the meeting revealed that instances of ‘Rail Roko’ have come down considerably in the last five years in Odisha and courts have convicted many agitators who were involved in the ‘Rail Roko’ especially on grounds that such agitation have caused financial loss to the government and inconvenience to passengers.
The meeting also reviewed the existing security measures and chalked out strategy for safety and security of passengers.
The meeting decided to bring more stations in the State under CCTV surveillance and beef up patrolling and security especially in Southern Odisha keeping in view Left Wing Extremism (LWE) threat to railway properties.
DGP RP Sharma on the other hand also stressed that both GRP and RPF personnel should work to ensure a crime-free and provide people-friendly environment at railway stations for passengers.
Criminal prosecution to be initiated against agitators for Rail roko in Odisha as per the decision of state level security committee for railways
In all cases of rail roko in Odisha, criminal cases will be initiated forthwith: RPF IG Atul Pathak in a meeting of state level security committee for railways.
https://youtu.be/0P2rpPVOP90
A blueprint on joint combing operations by District Voluntary Force (DVF), Special Operation Group (SOG) and other security forces was prepared in the meeting.
Special Director and ADG (Intelligence) Arun Kumar Sarangi, IG (Operations) RP Koche among other high-level officials of Odisha Police were present in the meeting.
As per reports, nearly 15 Naxals of Sundergarh-Deogarh-Sambalpur division are roaming in the area. They have taken it as a secure zone due to anti-Naxal operations and presence of central paramilitary forces in other parts of Odisha.
The area being closer to human habitats is also favourable for the Maoists, said sources.
Also read: Combing operations over suspected Maoists’ presence in Narsinghpur
The DGP deputed Champatiray at the police headquarters here.
Advocate Ashok Kumar Das said upholding the High Court's order quashing the dismissal of the IIC, the Supreme Court has rejected the petition of the State government.
"Earlier, we had appraised the State government about the apex court's decision for reinstatement of Champatiray. However, the then DGP KB Singh Deo did not take any action in this regard. The incumbent DGP respected the SC's decision and reappointed Champatiray at the Puri Police Headquarters,” Das said.
Notably, Champatiray was sacked for his alleged inaction in the Pipili gang rape case in 2012 that had spread shockwaves across the country. However, he had later moved the Supreme Court challenging the State government's decision.
https://youtu.be/1BU2ATsBWGM
DGP RP Sharma informed that five police teams are on the job while investigation into the case is going on in full swing in connection with the incident that has led to public outcry in State.
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“The teams are conducting a detailed probe while security personnel of nearby camps are also being examined. Only after investigation progresses, the accused behind the incident can be identified,” said Sharma.
Sharma further stated that the investigation is being conducted based on the preliminary statement of the survivor. A detailed statement will be recorded after she recovers.
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A class IX minor girl was gang raped by four persons suspected to be jawans deployed for anti-Maoist operations in the district on October 10.
A red flag case was registered at Pottangi Police Station in this connection under sections 376 (D) and 377 of IPC and section 6 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Also Read: DGP Odisha tags Koraput gang rape as ‘Red Flag’ case
The fresh direction comes in the wake of recent incidents of terrorism and other heinous crimes in several parts of the country and world.
Official sources said, owners of hotels, lodges and other guest houses in Odisha have been asked to install CCTVs to cover entry, exit and other prominent locations.
Besides, DMFD, baggage and vehicle scanners should also be installed for proper screening, timely renewal of licenses of bar and playing of music at such places.
The hotel owners and staff have been asked to ensure timely registration and renewal as per Sarai Act with the respective district collectors and Commissionerate of Police.
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DGP RP Sharma, in a letter to all superintendents of police and Commissionerate police, has directed for following the guidelines to ensure proper security measures in hotels.
As per the direction, hotel owners have been asked to conduct proper verification of the occupants before allotting rooms, verification of character and antecedent of the staff engaged and ensure that no illegal activities take place inside their property.
https://youtu.be/ZOKGC8cETug
The NSG has been able to create a benchmark for it in sectors other than counter-terrorism activities. National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC) of NSG has achieved international recognition through its work, said Sharma.
Similarly, efforts should be taken to create a special identity for Odisha Police, said the DGP adding, "NSG is an example for Odisha Police and we should also create such institutions or some special forces where we also achieve high level of success."
During the event, NSG Deputy Commandant Amit Kumar said, "The fight against terrorism is a collective responsibility of the forces as much as the citizens of India."
https://youtu.be/RaXZGDTRglk
Though three days have passed since the gruesome murder, the attackers are still at large even though all of them were caught on CCTV camera while hacking Pradhan to death outside his residence near LIC Colony on September 16.
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It is suspected that Pradhan was killed over past enmity though a detailed investigation is being carried out by police in connection with the incident.
A delegation of BJD leaders met the Director General (DG) of Police, RP Sharma today seeking immediate arrest of the miscreants involved in the murder case.
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Sharma had earlier claimed that three teams have been formed to nab the attackers, who were identified from the CCTV footage.
A rally was also organized in Chhatrapur and Berhampur today by the ruling-BJD protesting the murder of the councillor and a memorandum was also submitted to the SP, Collector and IG (Southern Range).
“The real conspirators behind the murder and the accused should be arrested immediately,” Chhatrapur MLA (BJD), Priyanshu Pradhan demanded.
One person was killed while around 12 others including few labourers and a minor girl were injured in the mishap.
Informing that a high level inquiry has been ordered by Chief Engineer, Designs and Chief Engineer, Roads, CM Patnaik also announced the treatment cost of the injured will be borne entirely by the State Government.
Later in the day, Patnaik visited the victims undergoing treatment at Capital Hospital and enquired about their health. "I am shocked to learn about the death of one person in the unfortunate incident. My deepest condolence to the bereaved family. I have discussed with the doctors about the health of victims. Two engineers have been suspended. A high level inquiry has been ordered," Patnaik told media.
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The suspended officials are Deputy Executive Engineer Bansidhar Prahraj and Assistant Engineer Kishore Rout of the Works department.
Meanwhile, Governor Dr. S. C. Jamir expressed grief over loss of life in the incident and wished speedy recovery of the injured.
Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda also visited Capital Hospital and enquired about the health condition of the persons injured in the mishap.
The deceased has been identified as Satya Patnaik (40), a businessman from Bhubaneswar. Patnaik’s daughter Sheetal has also been severely injured in the mishap. The incident occurred they were crossing the road. Sheetal has been shifted to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar and her condition is said to be critical, sources said.
According to reports, the flyover collapsed at around 12 noon when nearly 20 labourers were engaged in construction activities at the site.
“We had started the work at around 8 am and were busy in plastering the roof of the flyover when it caved in,” said an injured labourer.
The flyover project was under Roads and Buildings (R&B) Division-4 and was being executed by Panda Infra. Works Secretary Nalinikant Pradhan informed that already two senior engineers have been asked to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident.
“After getting a report from the engineers, action will be taken against those found responsible for any negligence,” Pradhan added.
Also Read: Flyover collapse rocks Assembly, adjourned till 3 PM
As many as 10 fire tenders, three units of ODRAF launched a massive search and rescue operations at the spot. Two NDRF teams, comprising of 84 personnel and two dog squads were also engaged to trace if any more person is trapped under the debris. Cutters, cranes from Cuttack were engaged to expedite the operations .
DGP RP Sharma, Police Commissioner YB Khurania and other administrative officials visited the spot to take stock of the situation.
DGP Sharma said " Commissionerate Police registered a case and action will be taken against the guilty."
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Sharma said that Maoists are adopting new skills and building corridors at various places. Depending on the movement of the Naxals the security forces also have to move accordingly and establish themselves in new areas. Therefore the forces are facing infrastructural and related issues such as logistics.
"We discussed how soon we can address those issues to see that the operational forces are comfortable, their morale is high and they can conduct operation smoothly," said Sharma.
Police and other security forces’ teams are keeping a tight watch on the Naxal movements said Sharma adding that the joint operation should be flawless. He also added that two platoons of central forces are needed to deal with Naxals effectively.
Besides the DGP, IGs of CRPF and BSF along with senior officials of Odisha Police were present in the meeting.
The assurance was given by DGP R P Sharma yesterday while presiding over the the first on Shore Co-ordination Committee meeting on security of oil and gas companies. The DGP is Chairman of the On shore Co-ordination Committee.
"It was decided unanimously to have regular patrolling as well as periodic joint patrolling of pipe line and nearby vulnerable areas with the assistance of local police," Sharma said.
Regular raids by local police will be undertaken to stop en-route pilferage of oil tankers at the supply locations, he said adding that police patrolling to be intensified by local police at the supply locations.
Illegal encroachments will also be removed as and when necessary in and around the supply locations, he said.
The meeting also discussed on constitution of a dedicated task force for co-ordination and analysis of all incidents and information available with various police stations in the state and with police of neighbouring states were also discussed in the meeting.
The meeting was attended by representatives from Odisha government, CRPF, SIB and OMCs like IOCL, HPCL and BPCL.
DGP RP Sharma today informed that special sessions to discuss the challenges and issues which could arise during pre-poll, polling and post poll phases will be held during the event.
Apart from participation by police officials, guest speakers who have expertise in their respective fields will also to share their experiences, thoughts and ideas on the topics like Cyber Crime, "Monitoring of Social Media" and "Enhanced use of Forensics".
“Discussion will be held on role of leadership in policing, social media monitoring, situation of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in the State, police arrangement for mega events and methods to tackle mass agitation during the annual conference,” the DGP said.
There will be deliberations on others topic like professional policing subjects like Law and Order, crime scenario of the State, improving road safety, paperless police station during the conference.
Superintendents of Police (SP) of all Districts, DCPs, Commandants of all Armed Police Battalions, Range IGPs, DIGPs, under training IPS officers, senior officers of various police establishments as well as Home Guards, Fire Services and Civil Defence Organisation, State Vigilance, Odisha State Police Housing and Welfare Corporation, Prison Organisation and OHRC will participate in the Conference.
Besides, Chief Secretary, Development Commissioner-cum- ACS of Home Department and Principal Secretary of Finance Department will also interact with the participants of the event.
Odisha DGP RP Sharma will inaugurate the conference while Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will grace the valedictory session of the event.
However, Odisha Director General of Police, RP Sharma informed that clear guidelines have already been issued to ensure that the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) during movement of elected representatives in Maoist areas in the State is duly followed.
Sharma revealed that personal security officers (PSOs) of lawmakers have been advised to duly inform their commanding officers including district police headquarters as well as Superintendents of Police (SPs) in advance regarding the travel plans of the elected representatives.
Earlier yesterday, a group of Maoists had shot dead Kidari Sarveswara Rao, MLA from Araku Valleyand and former TDP MLA Siveri Soma when they were returning from a meeting in Liptuputtu village of Dumbriguda Mandal of Andhra Pradesh.
Later, the supporters of the lawmakers had set the Araku and Dumbriguda police stations on fire protesting failure of police to track the presence of Maoists.
Odisha DG informed that the lawmakers were killed 10 kms away from the Odisha border and as there is a possibility that the armed rebels might enter the State, security forces as well district police officials have been put on alert.
“We are in constant touch with the senior police officials of the neighbouring State and have assured them of all possible assistance including help in combing operation as well as sharing of intelligence,” Sharma added.
"An extra vigil is being kept on the movement of Maoists in the districts of Malkangiri, Koraput and Rayagada. Already Odisha police is in touch with Grey Hound officers in Andhra Pradhesh and joint-combing operations have been intensified," Sharma informed.
The strength of cyber crime unit in the State will also see a big spike, Sharma informed at a three-day training programme organised here by the CID-Crime Branch and Unicef in Bhubaneswar.
The cases of cyber crime are on the ascent in Odisha since last few years. As many as 241 such cases were reported during the first three months of 2019. Last year the State had recorded around 867 cases. In contrast, State police had registered mere 120 cases in 2013, he informed the training session.
A total of 46 arrests were made for violation of cyber Act during the first quarter of 2019, last year the figure was 256, he added.
“The State Police have sent a proposal to the State government for setting up of cyber police stations in Bhubaneswar, Balasore and Koraput. The government is considering the proposal," Sharma disclosed.
Speaking on the training session, ADG Crime SK Upadhyay said the training programme is undertaken to enable the Inspector and Sub-Inspector rank officers to crack the cyber Act violation cases with prosecutable evidence. A total of 200 investigating officers are undergoing training at the workshop, he added.
The State currently has four cyber police stations that are functional at Cuttack, Berhampur, Rourkela and Sambalpur, respectively.
The DGP's action came a day after a large number of people staged a protest and vandalised Kodinga police station on Sunday alleging custodial death of a detainee.
During the period of suspension, inspector Sagar will remain under the disciplinary control of DIG of Police, South Western Range, Koraput.
The inspector was accused of not following any legal formalities and procedures while conducting gambling raid and detaining two persons thereof.
One of the detained person died while being shifted to a hospital in Visakhapatnam. This resulted in serious law and order situation in the locality on Sunday.
As per the allegations, Kodinga police picked up Gobardhan and one Kamlu Harijan of Badapanjuria village from Khatiguda market on Saturday for their alleged involvement in a cockfight betting. The cops had also picked up Gobardhan’s wife and his daughter from their house but released them later.
While the police reportedly released Kamlu on Sunday, later the Additional SP of Nabarangpur admitted that Gobardhan died in police custody.
The development has paved the way for Sharma’s elevation to the new post. In a first such instance, an official from the DG rank will be moved to a constitutional post.
The Lokayukta selection committee had earlier proposed Sharma’s name (after the top cop gave his consent last month) for the five-member Lokayukta panel to be headed by former Chief Justice of Guwahati High Court Ajit Singh.
Sources said Sharma has applied to take voluntary retirement from service (VRS) and his request is under consideration. As per the police service rules, the DGP has to give one-month notice period while informing his decision to quit the service.
Meanwhile, the elevation of Sharma has fuelled speculations as to who will be the next DGP. Speculations are rife that Odisha government might appoint an officer of the 1986 or 1987 batch IPS as the new top cop of the State Police.
Names of several top police officials, including State’s current Fire Services DG BK Sharma, are being considered for the post.
Taking over as the Head of Police Force in Odisha from the outgoing DGP RP Sharma at the State Police headquarters, the 1986-batch IPS officer said, “Police should play a major role in prevention as well as detection of crimes in a transparent manner so that it will help people trust police more. In this regard, my top priority would be ensure that police officials, be it a simple constable or a home guard, has access to modern technolgies, as it will help better crime fighting."
Stressing on improving the relationship between public and police, Sharma said, “If police fail to work efficiently and fail in crime detection, distress among public is evident. Therefore, the police department has to increase its efficiency.”
“The functioning of police stations should improve so that anyone who reaches police station for any grievance redressal are immediately helped by the cops because it will make the police more transparent and responsive to the people," the IPS officer said.
“There are many officers in Odisha Police right from SP level to DIG to other senior officers who are honest and hardworking. Efforts will be made to harness their positive energies to motivate other personnel for good performance,” stated Sharma
Sharma who is currently the chief of Fire Services, Home Guards and Civil Defence assumed the full additional charge as the Director General of Police today.
His appointment comes shortly after Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal approved the appointment of the outgoing DGP RP Sharma as a non-judicial member of the State Lokayukta on Tuesday.
Sharma, a 1986-batch IPS officer had officiated as DGP In-charge during the recent general elections in the State when the then DGP RP Sharma had to take leave following the demise of his wife.
Prior to his current postings as Director General of Fire Services and Commandant General (home guards) and Director of Civil Defence, Sharma was appointed Director General (Prisons) and was also posted as Special DGP Crime Branch (CID).
Sharma is among the few senior IPS officers from the 1986 or 1987 batch Odisha cadre who are frontrunners to take charge as the full time DGP of the State.
As per the new Supreme Court guidelines, the State has to send a list of IPS officers for consideration to the Union Public Service Commission. The selection panel will shortlist three names from the list and the State government has to pick one of them as the DGP.