Bhubaneswar, Mar 29 (Reporter) The Odisha Congress on Saturday urged Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati to direct the state government to form a House Committee to investigate the increasing incidents of crimes against women. Expressing concern over the rising cases of crimes against women—including rape, gang rape, and minor girls becoming mothers—the Congress, led by party President Bhakta Charan Das and several senior leaders, submitted a memorandum to the Governor highlighting the alarming rate of such crimes in the state. The memorandum stated that cases of rape, gang rape, and murder have been reported in Jaleswar, Dhenkanal, Malkangiri, Talcher, Rourkela, Bolangir, Kandhamal, Mayurbhanj, and other parts of Odisha. It further mentioned that even the state government had admitted that about 20,000 women and children have gone missing in the last nine months, while 1,600 serious cases of crimes against women have been registered at different police stations across the state during the past eight months. The memorandum alleged that 61 cases of rape, gang rape, and murder were reported in the last eight months. It also stated that every hour, four women and minor girls go missing, while eight women are either raped, gang-raped, or murdered in the state. These statistics reflect the gruesome situation faced by women and minor girls in Odisha, where women—who constitute 50 percent of the state's population—are feeling increasingly unsafe. The Congress party, according to the memorandum, took to the streets on March 1 to protest this alarming situation along with its frontal wings to draw the government’s attention and demand immediate action to curb crimes against women. The Congress MLAs also raised the issue in the Assembly and demanded that the Chief Minister make a statement on the increasing incidents of crimes against women. They further demanded the formation of a House Committee to investigate these horrific incidents, understand the root causes of such crimes, and determine what actions have been taken to curb the rising violence against women. However, despite repeated requests by the MLAs through the Speaker of the House, senior party MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati was suspended for seven days. Moreover, as the Congress MLAs continued their protest against what they termed as an illegal and unconstitutional act by the Speaker, all 14 Congress MLAs were suspended. The memorandum also mentioned that the Congress had called for a gherao of the Vidhan Sabha on March 27. It alleged that while the protest was being conducted peacefully, the police suddenly resorted to a lathi charge against Congress workers and leaders. Water cannons and tear gas were also used to disperse the demonstrators, resulting in injuries to over 40 Congress workers and leaders, 10 of whom are in serious condition. The memorandum urged the Governor to direct the government to form a House Committee to investigate the rising crimes against women in the state...////...