Bhubaneswar: BJP leader and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday demanded a CBI inquiry into the entire episode of the alleged gang-rape of a minor girl at Kunduli in Koraput.

Pradhan cited that Haryana government had handed over a similar case to the CBI and dared chief minister Naveen Patnaik to order a CBI probe into the Kunduli case.

"If Naveen has the guts and he really believes in transparency, he should recommend a CBI inquiry," said Pradhan.

Pradhan said there had been allegations that attempts had been made to hush up the case by changing forensic report and therefore the state government should hand over the case to the CBI to prove its innocence.

On October 10, a Class IX student was allegedly gang-raped by four uniformed men. However, the state government had ruled out the gang-rape. But it simultaneously ordered judicial and crime branch probe.

When the twin probe was on, the victim committed suicide on January 22, triggering a uproar across the state.

Recently, there was allegations that the State Forensic Laboratory in its preliminary report had mentioned the presence of semen in the victim's undergarment. The final report, however, did not have the same finding.

Director of the laboratory Purnachandra Mandal said: "We have started a departmental inquiry intothe matter."

Former Pradesh Congress Committee president Jayadev Jena also echoed the BJP's demand. He alleged that the forensic report was changed at the behest of the chief minister.

Responding to the demand, BJD spokesperson Amar Satpathy said: "The judicial inquiry of the Kunduli incident is under way. Many cases had been handed over to the CBI earlier, but people of the state are still unaware about the proceedings. The demand for a CBI probe is just part of a campaign by the opposition parties."