Rapes down by 3.3%, Law Min tells House after Oppn furore

Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan Friday strongly defended the state government's record on women’s safety while replying to an adjournment motion moved in the Assembly regarding the alleged abuse of three minor girls in MV-72 village under Kalimela block of Malkangiri district.

- POST NEWS NETWORK

The motion was brought by MLAs Ramachandra Kadam, CS Rajen Ekka, Ashok Kumar Das and Mangu Khol, who accused the government of failing to protect women in remote regions.

Responding to the charge, Harichandan informed the House that the incident was promptly acted upon. “On 23 November 2025, at around 4pm, Naren Ray, 45, of the same village allegedly abused three minor girls. Based on a written complaint filed November 25, a case (177/2025) was registered at MV-79 Police Station,” he said.

The minister confirmed that the accused has already been arrested and will be produced before the court, while further investigation continues.

Countering the Opposition’s criticism, the Law Minister presented comparative crime data from the last 15 months of the current government (01.07.2024-30.09.2025) with the preceding 15-month period (01.04.2023-30.06.2024).

According to the figures cited, the total number of crimes against women has remained largely unchanged—40,947 cases registered in the recent period compared to 40,771 previously.