Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Thursday laun-ched an indefinite dharna near Raj Bhavan demanding justice for the Kenduli gang-rape victim. It urged Governor S.C. Jamir to issue necessary direction to this effect for the cause of the helpless minor tribal survivor.

Former Congress MP Pradeep Majhi said: "The victim has told the police who had committed the crime. Even after 22 days, the accused are not arrested. The medical report has also not been made public."

The 14-year-old girl was allegedly gagged and gang-raped on gun-point by four uniformed personnel in the Lanjiguda forest on October 10 while she was on her way to school from Kunduli. The girl was also allegedly sodomised by the accused who had abandoned her in the forest after the incident. She has accused that police were unnecessarily trying to implicate her relatives in the gang-rape case instead of arresting the culprits..

Majhi said: "The girl's health is deteriorating. She should be immediately shifted to a hospital in Bhubanesw-ar. Besides, the government should announce a package of Rs 50 lakh (for her)."

Former OPCC chief Niranjan Patnaik said: "We need justice for the girl. The tribals have lost their confidence on the government." Koraput MLA Krushna Chandra Sagaria said: "We had observed bandh in Koraput and held a march. But no progress has been made."

Police have maintained that either security personnel or Maoists, who also don the camouflaged combat uniform, were involved in the crime.

Body found

Badagada police recovered the body of Mithun Swain of Rugumu village from a nullah on Thursday. He was kidnapped on October 30.