The situation can be considered alarming given the fact that 138 rape cases were registered in the previous year in 2016.
As most of the survivors are minor girls, it is now being considered as a matter of concern for the law enforcement agencies including Commissionerate Police.
Out of the total 180 cases, 110 rapes happened in cases of elopement & love.
Taking cognizance of such a trend, senior officials of Commissionerate Police are now contemplating to launch awareness campaigns.
"Our prime focus is on conducting a detailed probe into crimes against women and children," said Police Commissioner YB Khurania.
As per the annual crime statistics, a 4.3% increase in crime has been reported in the twin city as nearly 11,238 cases were registered in 2017 against 10,774 in 2016.
Casualties in motor vehicle accidents also registered a steep hike as 147 people were killed in several road mishaps on the National Highway in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar while the total number of such accidents was 322.
Out of the total 595 accidents on other roads, 153 persons were killed with highest deaths being reported in Bhubaneswar (103).
"We have prepared a roadmap to minimize loss of life and property in road accidents in 2018-19. We will launch several campaigns on road safety," Khurania added.
"Odisha government will set up 45 FTCs on a war-footing," informed State Law Minister Pratap Jena.
He further stated that of the total 45 FTCs in Odisha, 21 courts would exclusively deal with rape cases and other atrocities against women. "State has 24 designated POCSO (Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences) Courts. All required efforts are undertaken to make them functional at the earliest," Jena added.
A significant mention here is POCSO courts were set up after Supreme Court directed the Union Government to set up special courts in those districts, where more than 100 cases of sexual offences against children were pending.
These special courts will exclusively hear cases of sexual offences against children registered under POCSO Act for time-bound disposal.
Below is the state-wise distribution of the proposed fast track courts across India.
As per reports, there are more than 1.5 lakh cases pending in the High Court out of which 21659 cases are being heard for more than 10 years while 3796 cases are pending for more than 20 years.
A resident of Remuna area of Balasore, Raghunath Behera, who has been visiting courts since 2001 in a land dispute case, said, "Sometimes officials are not present and sometimes courts remain closed which is why I am suffering since the year 2001. There has been no progress yet."
Speaking on the pending cases, senior advocate Sourachandra Mahapatra said, "Due to lack of adequate number of judges, many cases are pending for years. The state government is not responsibly doing its work which is why people have started to lose faith on the judiciary."
Though the incident occurred on Wednesday, it came to light after the survivor lodged a police complaint in connection with the incident yesterday.
According to reports, the woman was sleeping on the verandah of her house when two miscreants abducted and later gang raped her at an isolated place in the nearby forest.
“Based on the complaint filed by the woman, we have today arrested both the accused, who happen to be from the same village,” said a senior police official.
The official further informed that medical examination of the woman and the two accused was conducted today.
The matter came to the fore after the 14-year-old girl was found four months pregnant when she underwent a medical check-up following frequent vomiting.
As per reports, four months back her brother was admitted to Titlagarh hospital for some treatment and she stayed with him as an attendant. It is during that period that she was allegedly raped by the worker of the Aahar centre.
Though she is suffering from mild speech impairment, she was somehow able to convey that the worker took her to the hospital toilet and raped her when there were not many people around. The accused even threatened to kill her if she reveals the matter to anyone. This very reason forced the minor to keep mum.
SHOCKING !! Minor Rape Survivor Recounts Being Sexually Abused By 38 Men In Past Few Months
Recently when her health condition deteriorated, the family members admitted her to the hospital where doctors revealed that she is four months pregnant.
After the divyang girl narrated her ordeal and the trauma she has been going through for months, the family members lodged a complaint with Titlagarh Sub-Collector seeking justice. They have also demanded stringent action against the accused.
Further investigation is in progress.
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