Facing flak, Odisha DGP calls for tough act against crime

BHUBANESWAR: Facing serious flak over the worsening law and order situation in the state, with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi pulling up the police for their lax approach towards crime control, DGP YB Khurania on Sunday went into a huddle with senior officers.

Convening an emergency meeting here, the DGP asked them to intensify enforcement and ensure prompt action against criminal activities across districts.

He directed the police to intensify beat patrolling and increase visits to the areas under their jurisdictions and have proactive engagements with the locals. This would not preventing crime but also intelligence gathering, he said.

Khurania also instructed district SPs to hold regular briefing parades in all the police stations of the state before 9 am daily. He directed them to ensure its proper compliance and regular monitoring. The briefing parade or police station roll call ensures readiness and maintains operational discipline, he said.

AdvertisementHe also emphasised increasing police visibility and providing training to the personnel of emergency response support system (ERSS) dial – 112. Training all the personnel working in emergency response vehicles will enhance their performance and response capabilities in complex and urgent situations, he said.

The DGP’s direction came after the staff of an ERSS vehicle visited Ramachandrapur area within Balianta police limits on May 7 where GRP constable Soumya Ranjan Swain was being attacked by a mob but they failed to rescue him. They rushed to the crime scene but reportedly delayed contacting their seniors to them about the volatile situation, which led to the death of Swain.

Amid the spurt in crimes, Khurania also asked senior officers to launch a 15-day special drive across the state from Monday to nab absconding accused, execute pending non-bailable warrants (NBWs) and initiate stringent action against notorious criminals as well as drug peddlers