In a high-voltage late-evening review meeting, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi sent a clear and uncompromising message to the state’s top police and administrative brass: organised crime must be crushed completely, and the police force must transform itself into a visible, proactive guardian that wins the trust of citizens while instilling dread among lawbreakers.
Addressing District Collectors, Superintendents of Police, the DGP, Chief Secretary and senior Home Department officials, the Chief Minister declared that the time for reactive policing is over. “The police must take proactive action,” he stressed. “Crime mapping, intelligence gathering and round-the-clock strict patrolling are non-negotiable. The presence of police should be felt everywhere.”
Majhi drew a direct parallel with Odisha’s successful campaign against Naxalism and instructed the force to apply the same zero-tolerance model against sand mafias and all other forms of organised crime. “Just as we have controlled Naxal activities, we must now completely wipe out sand mafia and every other organised syndicate,” he said.
He asked the police to build friendly relationships with ordinary citizens so that vital information flows freely, enabling pre-emptive strikes against crime. At the same time, he demanded visible, round-the-clock patrolling so that “criminals live in fear and the common man lives in confidence.”
The Chief Minister directed district-level officers to function as a single unified team. “Administrative officers and police must work shoulder-to-shoulder, exactly the way we execute development schemes,” he added. He also ordered regular district-level law-and-order reviews with prompt reporting to the Chief Secretary and the Home Department.
Praising the police for improved conviction rates under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and their success against Naxals, Majhi urged them to now adopt innovative, modern strategies suited to the challenges of the 21st century.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Hemant Sharma and DGP Y.B. Khurania briefed the meeting on current ground realities and assured the Chief Minister that his directions would be implemented with full urgency. Also present were Advisor to the Chief Minister Prakash Mishra and other senior officers.
