Odisha’s Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan fired sharp criticism at the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday for turning tragic cases of violence against women into political fodder during a heated debate in the state assembly.
The clash erupted over an adjournment motion raised by BJD lawmakers about the brutal murder of traffic constable Subhamitra Sahoo. Her husband, police officer Deepak Kumar Rout, allegedly killed her. Harichandan pointed out that crimes against women in Odisha have dropped significantly since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power.
In a shocking twist shared during the assembly session, Harichandan revealed that Rout had murdered his first wife, Aparna Priyadarshini, back in 2022. He staged it as a road accident to claim insurance money. They had married in 2018, and the incident happened when the BJD ran the state government.
Harichandan questioned how Aparna’s death got covered up as a truck accident, especially since investigations later showed the truck wasn’t even at the scene. “The previous government couldn’t gather any evidence against him,” Harichandan told reporters outside the assembly. “Rout walked free, rejoined the police force after serving 16 years in Bhubaneswar, and now we’re digging deeper.”
The minister announced that authorities have ordered a fresh probe into the 2022 case at Khuntuni police station in Cuttack, focusing on the murder angle.
Harichandan highlighted real progress on women’s safety under BJP rule. From July 2024 to June 2025, Odisha saw fewer incidents of sexual harassment, public disrobing, stalking, acid attacks, and human trafficking compared to the same period the year before. “Our government puts women’s safety first,” he said in the assembly. “We’re all about delivering quick justice in sexual abuse cases.”
To back it up, he shared a success story from Brajarajnagar police station. In one sexual abuse case, the perpetrators got 25 years in prison—just 55 days after charges were filed. This kind of swift action shows Odisha’s push to protect women and tackle crimes head-on.
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