Odisha witnessed two more cases of gang rape and sexual assault involving minor girls, adding to rising concerns over women’s safety in the state.
In the latest incident, a 14-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by five youths under Jamankira police station limits in Sambalpur district on Sunday. The victim’s family in its police complaint said the youths dragged the girl, who had gone out for some work, to an isolated place and raped her.
Sambalpur superintendent of police (SP), Mukesh Bhamoo told mediapersons that four suspects, including the main accused, have been arrested following multiple raids. A manhunt is on to trace the fifth one.
Bhamoo had constituted a special team to nab the accused persons.
Sources said the accused, aged between 19 and 21, are from the same village as the survivor. Her condition is reported to be stable and her medical examination report is awaited.
In another incident in Cuttack, an auto driver was arrested for allegedly molesting a minor girl on NH-16 near Shikharpur.
Though the incident took place on August 8, it came to light when her family lodged a complaint with the police on Sunday.
Sources said the girl had travelled from Jagatpur to Badambadi for shopping with a friend. While returning home, she reportedly felt unwell. When her friend stepped out to purchase a bottle of water from a roadside shop, the auto driver allegedly attempted to molest her.
When she resisted, the accused allegedly threatened to douse her with petrol and burn her alive.
Cuttack deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo, said the accused had been nabbed and his vehicle was seized.
These incidents come in the wake of public uproar in the state over a spate of rape, gang rape and self-immolation cases.
The case that triggered widespread outrage in Odisha was the self-immolation death of a college girl from Balasore who allegedly set herself ablaze following inaction by college authorities after she complained about being sexual harassed by her teacher.
The girl, who doused herself with petrol and struck a match outside the office of the principal of Fakir Mohan (autonomous) College, was rushed to AIIMS Bhubaneswar on June 12, where she passed away after struggling for life for 48 hours.
This was followed by another case in which a 19-year-old girl was allegedly set on fire by three men on a river bank in Balanga, Puri district, on July 19.
Balanga falls under the Nimapara Assembly constituency of Odisha deputy chief minister Pravati Parida.
The girl died on August 2 at AIIMS, New Delhi. In the Balanga case, the police are yet to arrest anyone. However, Odisha Police said it has launched a probe into the viral video containing the statement of the girl.
The two major Opposition parties — the Congress and the BJD — have staged protests across the state over the BJP government’s failure to protect women, turning the issue into a major cause of embarrassment for the government.