Bhubaneswar, June 23: The last rites of the Pipili gangrape victim were performed at Swargadwar cremation ground in Puri tonight amidst tight security.

The victim’s family members agreed to receive the body and perform last rites only after the administration assured them of security. They also sought a plot of land in Bhubaneswar because they believed their lives were in danger in their village.

Earlier, the administration had issued an ultimatum to the family members to take the body from the Puri morgue within 72 hours because it had started to decay.

The victim’s family members had gone into hiding when the police, which suspected trouble in Bhubaneswar, took the body to her native village in Pipili. Following protests there, the police moved the body to the Puri mortuary. The 19-year-old girl died on June 21 at SCB Medical College. Her death had sparked off sporadic protests in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar with social activists demanding immediate action against the culprits.

The deceased was the lone eyewitness to an assault on another girl and was under pressure not to give evidence. She was allegedly assaulted in November last year because she stuck to her stand. Doctors at both Capital Hospital and SCB Medical College had refused treat her properly. Following a public outcry, the high court intervened in January, got the girl admitted to hospital and ordered a probe. A judicial probe as well as an inquiry by the crime branch are being carried out.

Demanding a CBI inquiry into the incident, the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist), National Confederation of Dalit Organisation and other organisations today held a protest march near the state Assembly. A minor scuffle ensued between the police and the activists when the latter tried to break the cordon. The activists have demanded Rs 50 lakh as compensation to the victim’s family.

The parents of the victim today softened their stand after their relatives met representatives of the administration. Former minister Bhajaman Behera and Samajwadi Party state unit president Rabi Behera mediated with both sides to ensure that last rites were performed today.

Amidst tight security, family members went to Puri and received the body. “Sensing trouble at Pipili, they went to Puri via Nimapara-Konark,” said a senior police officer.