Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, June 21: The victim of Pipili gangrape case, who had been in coma for the past six months, died at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack today.
“The 19-year-old girl died because of septicaemia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and cardio-respiratory failure,” said hospital authorities.
The victim’s family members have reiterated their demand for stern action against the culprits and sought security for the family members. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik announced Rs 10 lakh financial assistance for her family.
The uproar over the alleged gangrape and subsequent callous attitude of the doctors had embarrassed the Naveen Patnaik government. There were allegations that the then agriculture minister, Pradeep Maharathy, had tried to shield the culprits. Naveen, while ordering a judicial commission into the incident, had asked the minister to quit.
On November 29 last, the 19-year-old victim was found lying naked and unconscious in a field at a village in the Pipili police station limits in Puri district after she was allegedly gangraped by a group of persons.
Naveen ordered a crime branch probe on the direction of Orissa High Court following allegations that local police had tried to hush up the case under political pressure. Later, he also appointed a judicial commission of inquiry, headed by retired high court judge Justice P.K. Mohanty to probe into the incident, following Opposition demand for a CBI probe.
The crime branch has filed chargesheets against eight persons, including former inspector in charge of Pipili police station Amulya Kumar Champitray. The investigating agency had recently filed another chargesheet against three doctors for neglecting the girl’s treatment. A crime branch official said another chargesheet was likely to be filed against prime accused Prashant Pradhan under Section 302 of the IPC, following the victim’s death.
The victim was admitted at SCB on January 11 only after intervention of the high court. Since then she had slipped into coma and had been struggling for life. She was put on ventilator after she developed breathing problems from March 19.