Odisha's darkening shadow: Hindutva, patriarchy, and the alarming rise of violence against women

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak 

Odisha, once synonymous with peace and tranquility, is grappling with a disturbing surge in violence against women, a crisis exacerbated by the ideological underpinnings of Hindutva politics now at the helm of the state. The tragic self-immolation of a female student in Balasore, a leading member of the ABVP, following unchecked sexual and mental harassment, is not an isolated incident but a chilling symptom of a deeper malaise. Her desperate act, met with a powerful state-wide shutdown on July 17, 2025, underscores a systemic failure to protect women and deliver justice.

The Chief Minister, Mohan Charan Majhi, an RSS-nurtured tribal leader leading the BJP government, has pledged "exemplary" punishment. However, a glance at recent statistics paints a grim picture: seven rape cases in just seventeen days of June 2025, a staggering 30,943 cases of violence against women in 2024 (with 2,834 in June 2024 alone), 6,878 abductions, and 7,584 molestations. These figures shatter Odisha's reputation and expose the BJP-led government's profound inability to ensure women's safety.

This escalating violence, from campuses to workplaces, is not merely a series of individual crimes. It is the systemic outcome of a deeply entrenched feudal, caste-based patriarchal society, rooted in a Brahminical social order that, while glorifying women in their reproductive and domestic roles, consistently denies them equality. Such a society provides fertile ground for the rise of Hindutva politics, which, in turn, seems to legitimize and normalize gender-based violence.

The anti-women stance of the BJP-led government in Odisha finds disturbing resonance in the ideological roots of Hindutva. V.D. Savarkar, a key Hindutva ideologue, in his work Six Glorious Epochs of Indian History, chillingly posits rape as a political weapon, even questioning its "irreligious" nature when perpetrated against enemies. This disturbing justification echoes in the exoneration of rapists and murderers under the current BJP-led Government of India. The insidious Hindutva distinction – glorifying the rape of Muslim women while bemoaning the rape of Hindu women as a historical humiliation – further reveals a deeply problematic and selective approach to sexual violence. Within this framework, the inaction and incompetence of the Odisha government align perfectly with Hindutva's broader ideological stance, reinforcing a system that denies justice and normalizes patriarchal violence.

Despite widespread public dissent, the Government of Odisha and its Hindutva leadership remain eerily silent spectators to these heinous acts. This reflects not just patriarchal apathy but exposes Hindutva's fundamentally flawed approach to gender injustice. Hindutva's opposition to sexual violence stems not from a commitment to gender equality but from a concern for "women's honour, sexual integrity, and purity." This approach fundamentally undermines women's autonomy and dignity as equal citizens, instead perpetuating male privilege under the guise of safeguarding family and community honor within a deeply patriarchal social, political, economic, cultural, and religious order.

The Anjana Mishra rape case once marked the political downfall of the Congress government in Odisha. Today, the sexual harassment case at Fakir Mohan Autonomous College holds the potential to similarly shake the very foundations of Hindutva politics in the state. If public outrage continues to swell, this incident could become a critical turning point, exposing the deep failures of the BJP-led government and challenging the ideological grip of Hindutva.

Therefore, the struggle for women’s empowerment and egalitarian citizenship in Odisha is inextricably linked to the struggle against patriarchal Hindutva politics, its underlying ideology, and all forms of violence against women. Continuous mass mobilization and sustained resistance against the deeply unpopular BJP-led government are paramount for political change and economic progress. In the long run, the fight against patriarchy, caste hierarchies, reactionary cultural values, gender and class discrimination, and exclusionary Hindutva politics is essential to reclaim a peaceful and just Odisha. The political defeat of Hindutva is central to building an egalitarian, prosperous, and progressive state and society.