Bhubaneswar: Expressing concern over the rise in incidents of rape and crime against women and children in Odisha, the members of Mahila Adhikar Abhiyan, a voluntary group, met Governor Ganeshi Lal on Friday to press for stringent law to curb such menace in the society.
The women activists stressed on bringing a law on the lines of the proposed Andhra Pradesh Disha Act, which mandates disposal of cases of atrocities against women within 21 days and handing out death penalty to rapists.
Namrata Chadha, member of the outfit informed that 1,149 women and girls were raped in 2019 in Odisha while conviction rate is such cases is a mere 18.35%, which is quite low.
“We have submitted a memorandum to the Odisha Governor and demanded for urgent measures to ensure that there is investigation and prosecution of culprits in a time-bound manner. This will act as a deterrent and ensure justice for the victims,” said Chadha.
According to Chadha, Odisha Governor has assured to take necessary steps.
The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly had recently passed the DISHA Bill. Sources said the proposed new law has been named the ‘Andhra Pradesh Disha Act Criminal Law (AP Amendment) Act, 2019, as a tribute to the veterinary doctor who was raped and murdered recently in Telangana.