The irony is rife. Even while Congress chief Sonia Gandhi draws up elaborate plans to ``empower'' women, and personally hopes to encash on the women's vote bank, a state governed by the Congress presides over a criminalised polity, where crimes against women occur with alarming frequency. But the incident that occurred near Cuttack on Saturday night was shocking even by Orissa's abysmal standards. Anjana Mishra, who is ostensibly under police and CBI protection, was subjected to the humiliation and terror of being repeatedly raped at gunpoint by three men in a forested area near Cuttack.One of the culprits has already confessed to the crime. It is Anjana Mishra's identity that gives this incident an exceptional significance. This was the woman who had the courage to take on the entire political and administrative machinery in the state. By filing a case against the then Advocate General Indrajit Ray for his sexual misdemeanours towards her, she ensured that he was ejected from office. Since Ray enjoyed thesupport of Chief Minister Patnaik, this also meant that Mishra found the most powerful forces in the state arraigned against her.Mishra has little doubt that these were the very forces that were involved in the gang rape. While a proper police and judicial inquiry is required before this can be established conclusively, the fact that many in the opposition suspect the Patnaik government's direct complicity in the incident only underlines its dismal lack of credibility. This is not the first time that women activists have found themselves at the receiving end of brutal behaviour. Some time ago Urmila, a woman who had fiercely fought the liquor mafia in the state, was killed. More recently, two social workers in Jharsugura were also gang-raped.Patnaik evidently feels no great urge to express remorse and concern over Mishra's gang rape, going by his statements to the media. Instead of appearing contrite, he chose to go on the offensive, questioning Mishra's movements and behaviour. Perhaps it's time toremind him that his wife, Jayanti Patnaik, once headed the National Commission for Women and had occasion to defend women against such callous attitudes. Fortunately, the Congress High Command in Delhi behaved with more circumspection than the chief minister. There was no attempt on Sonia Gandhi's part or that of party spokespersons to whitewash the affair. In fact, the party admitted that it was a ``serious matter'' and that it would like to await the results of a proper inquiry into the incident.But going by the public mood, the Congress may find itself overtaken by events. Public anger over the incident is growing, with the Janata Dal and Left parties in the state already having called for a day-long bandh tomorrow. It may only be a matter of time before Patnaik finds his position completely untenable. If Sonia Gandhi wants to demonstrate her uncompromising commitment to cleaning up the Congress act, she would be wise to ask for the resignation of this man forthwith.
