Police station can’t refuse to register FIRs, Odisha CM Majhi tells cops

The chief minister also told the police to step up, pointing that the conviction rate for crimes against women in Odisha was in single digits

Published on: Nov 7, 2024, 19:26:16 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday said police stations in Odisha could not refuse to register a first information report (FIR) and that they were bound to register a case even if the crime hasn’t been committed in their jurisdiction.

Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi also accused the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) regime of failing to implement the rule of law (X/MohanMOdisha)

“This will be called ‘Zero FIR’ and will be sent to the respective police station for further due process,” Majhi said at a sensitisation programme on Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar.

“Moreover, the police personnel cannot call a disabled person, a minor below 15 years of age or those above 60 to the police station, except in unavoidable circumstances,” he said, asking the police to solve child sex abuse cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act within 60 days.

Majhi, who accused the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) regime of failing to implement the rule of law due to lack of political will, said there was no dearth of laws to deal with various crimes in our country.

“The previous government talked about women empowerment every day. What kind of women’s empowerment they achieved is beyond anyone’s comprehension,” he said, adding that the conviction rate of crimes against women was in single digits in Odisha.

According to data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) report for 2022, the conviction rate for these crimes in Odisha was 9.3% as compared to 70.8% in Uttar Pradesh, 68% in Mizoram and 60.9% in Bihar.

“What I mean to say is that there are only two reasons for this shameful situation in Odisha, the first is that the investigation is sloppy and the second is the lack of political will. But, this will not work now. I have told the Legislative Assembly that the criminals should be reformed, otherwise the government would not spare them. In the last meeting of District Magistrates and SPs, I have said all the pending cases of violence against women in various police stations, police stations and courts of the state should be disposed quickly and steps should be taken to punish them,” he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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