BJD condemns viral video of Chief Minister’s conversation with the victim
- The release of the video of the conversation with the victim violates Supreme Court guidelines.
- The state government has failed to ensure justice for rape victims in its own state.
Enthusiasm of the state government in the West Bengal incident is politically motivated.
Bhubaneswar, 15/10/2025: The Biju Mahila Janata Dal has sharply criticized Chief Minister Shri Mohan Majhi for releasing the video of his conversation with the Odia medical girl student who was gangraped in Durgapur, West Bengal. Senior leaders of the Biju Mahila Janata Dal stated that releasing the victim’s identity and making the recording of her conversation public violates the Supreme Court guidelines.
Addressing a press conference at Shankha Bhavan, Senior General Secretary Smt. Tukuni Sahu said that in the past fifteen months under BJP rule, law and order in the state has completely deteriorated. Incidents of rape, gangrape, misconduct, and murder have become daily headlines in newspapers. Even as women in the state continue to become victims of such heinous crimes every day, the Chief Minister has shown no concern. While the incident in West Bengal is indeed deplorable and painful, the manner in which Chief Minister Shri Mohan Majhi made the recording of his conversation with the victim public is even more condemnable. Biju Mahila Janata Dal General Secretary Smt. Sumitra Jena said that as per the Supreme Court guidelines, the victim’s identity or any conversation with her should not be made public. Hence, by circulating the recording through media, the Chief Minister has violated the apex court’s guidelines.
General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Smt. Sulata Deo said that despite the recurrence of rape and gangrape incidents in the state over the last fifteen months, the Chief Minister has remained silent. His sudden interest in the West Bengal case is purely politically motivated. Both the State and National Women’s Commissions have met the victim in West Bengal, but when it comes to Odisha, they have never shown such initiative in similar cases. It is unfortunate that instead of ensuring justice for victims, the BJP and the state government are politicizing their pain. When BJP MLA Shri Santosh Khatua made indecent remarks about a BJD leader, the matter was reported to both the State and National Women’s Commissions, yet neither took any action. Senior General Secretary Dr. LekhasriSamantsinghar said that the way BJP leaders, including Balasore MP Shri Pratap Sarangi, rushed to West Bengal to meet the victim felt like a scene of “rape tourism.” The Biju Mahila Janata Dal strongly condemns the Chief Minister’s action of making the video of his conversation with the victim viral. The party also deeply condemns attempts to politicize this incident. Although the law and order situation in West Bengal is poor, the situation in Odisha is even worse. Women in Odisha too are increasingly unsafe. In this context, the Chief Minister’s actions are highly condemnable.
