Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi is prioritising crime control by ordering a crackdown on organised crime and urging collaboration between civil and police authorities to restore law and order in the state.
Key Points
- Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi directs civil and police authorities to work together to control organised crime.
- The CM's directive follows a review of the law and order situation after recent mob lynching and murder cases in Odisha.
- The Odisha government aims to instil fear among criminals and build public confidence through proactive policing.
- District Magistrates and SPs are instructed to regularly review the law and order situation and report to senior officials.
- Opposition BJD protests against the alleged collapse of law and order in Odisha, focusing on the mob lynching of a constable.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi asked the civil and police authorities to work as a team to contain organised crimes across the state, instil fear among criminals and win the confidence of people.
Majhi issued the directions while reviewing the law and order situation, which has been impacted in the wake of back-to-back crimes like the mob-lynching of a man near here and the killing of a mentally challenged person after he murdered two people in Mayurbhanj district.
This was the chief minister's second review meeting on the law and order situation in a span of seven days.
Strategies for Crime Control in Odisha
"The chief minister has asked the collector and SP of a district and the revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) and DIG of a region to work as a team for better results," Chief Secretary Anu Garg told reporters after attending the review meeting on Thursday.
Coordinated efforts of both civil administration and police organisation will help contain organised and other crimes, Garg said.
Apart from Garg, all the top police officers, RDCs, district collectors and SPs attended the meeting through virtual mode.
"As the naxal menace could be eliminated due to joint efforts of civil and police administration, organised crimes can also be dealt with similarly," the chief minister said.
Building Public Confidence and Instilling Fear
If the police succeed in dealing with crimes, they will win the confidence of the public who would then come forward to help the administration avoid incidents of crime, he said.
At the same time, Majhi said, the police should instil a sense of fear among criminals so that they would think several times before taking any illegal step.
Noting that it is very important for the police to take proactive steps, the chief minister said that information collection or intelligence about crimes in different areas should be augmented.
"A comprehensive patrolling system can create fear among the criminals and also create trust among the common people," he said.
Regular Reviews and Reporting
Advising the District Magistrate and SPs, the chief minister said that they should regularly review the law and order situation in the district and send reports to the DGP, the additional chief secretary of the Home Department and the chief secretary.
Majhi also directed the chief secretary to regularly inform him about the situation in various districts.
The CM also praised the police for the "significant increase" in conviction rate.
Opposition Protests
Meanwhile, the opposition BJD on Thursday held a massive protest and gheraoed the DGP's office in Cuttack, alleging complete collapse of the law and order situation in the state.
The protestors breached security layers and attempted to force their way into the office campus while raising slogans against the rising crimes across the state.
The Cuttack demonstration mostly focused on the mob lynching of a 32-year-old GRP constable on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar last week.
BJD activists also staged protests before the SP offices in Puri and Nayagarh districts over different crimes.
In all the places, the opposition party submitted memoranda demanding strict action against culprits and fixing accountability of officials responsible for the rise in crimes.
