Almost a fortnight after the alleged custodial abuse of an Army officer and his fiancée at Bharatpur police station in the city that triggered nationwide outrage, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has asked the police to treat the women, who come to register complaints, courteously and with respect.

Speaking at the concluding day of the two-day Collectors’ Conference here on Saturday, CM Majhi said: “People in general and women in particular who are coming to police stations to register complaints and get justice should be accorded polite and courteous treatment.”

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Their complaints should be patiently heard and addressed to, when the complainants (women) come to the police station whether it is in morning, day hours or in the middle of night as treating them with dignity is the duty of police.

Policemen in each police station are required to be sensitized in this matter, he said, asking the senior police officers attending the two-day meeting to look into it with urgency.

The concept that police are the friends of people is required to be developed and people’s confidence and trust in police are to be instilled, he observed, saying that women and child desks in each of the police stations are to be activated further to win the confidence of people.

Sharing the ground level feedback, CM Majhi dwelling on the highhandedness of policemen on duty said “there are several instances of police inspectors and investigating officers making the people wait for hours. Finally their FIRs are not registered.”

This has been the trend in the past years and even today this disturbing practice is still in vogue, CM Majhi narrated asking the senior police officers to direct the subordinates to refrain from such anti-people practice.

Expressing anguish over the sharp rise in women-related crimes in the State, CM said “I am deeply shocked over the rise in women-related crime in the last two decades. Police should ensure that girl students, young women should move freely without fear in the streets.”

Appealing to the senior officers for expeditious investigation of crime against women, he expressed displeasure over the low conviction rate in such crimes in the last 22 years.

The conviction rate in women-related crime stands abysmally low at 9.73 per cent conviction from 2000 to 2022. Either police are not properly investigating or the police department does not have the sincerity to deal with these cases.

“But the BJP Government will not tolerate such negligence. I have asked the DGP to submit a report within a week on the district-wise conviction rate and status of pending crimes against women,” he concluded.