Protests were held across Odisha on Tuesday following the suicide of an alleged gang-rape victim at Kunduli in Koraput district.
The BJP and the Congress have given separate ‘dawn to dusk’ bandh call on Wednesday, demanding justice to the minor girl, a student of Class IX. Both parties blamed the State government for the situation that led the girl to take the extreme step. They demanded a CBI inquiry into the case and blamed the State police for not arresting the culprits.
Tension prevailed at Kunduli under Pottangi police station limits throughout the day. On Tuesday morning, Congress activists led by former MP Pradeep Majhi took away the victim’s body from Kunduli Community Health Centre (CHC) without letting the doctors perform autopsy. They blocked the NH27 along with the body. State Congress president Prasad Harichandan and Jeypore MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati also took part in the demonstration.
In the evening, the victim’s body was taken to Musaguda village for creamation. Just before the rituals began, the autopsy was conducted in the presence of the police and the local tahsildar. Demonstrators carried body of the victim to her village, Musaguda at evening for cremation. Autopsy of the body could be conducted at Musaguda funeral ground just before the funeral in the presence of police and local tehsildar.
Meanwhile, protests by BJP on the issue turned violent in Bhubaneswar. BJP activists clashed with police while trying to ghearao Naveen Nivas, residence of Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik. Police resorted to lathi charge when BJP activists breached the security cordon near Sishu Bhavan square. Some BJP supporters and police personnel were injured during the clash. Women’s wing of the party held demonstrations in different parts of the State including Berhampur.
Activists of Odisha unit of Women’s Congress were also restrained by police while they were trying to demonstrate near Odisha CM’s residence. Students’ Congress held a demonstration in front of Utkal University in Bhubaneswar.
A tragedy, says Naveen
Speaking to newsmen, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik described the suicide by the girl as a tragic incident and expressed his condolences. State Women and Child Development Minister, Prafulla Samal said his department would look into the the factors that led to suicide of the victim.
The victim had allegedly committed suicide inside her house at Musaguda under Pottangi police station limits on Monday afternoon. On Oct 10, 2017 she had alleged that she had been gang raped near Kunduli by four persons in combat attire like security personnel. Odisha police has tagged it as a ‘Red Flag’ case because of its seriousness. But on Nov 7, Human Rights Protection Cell (HRPC) of Odisha police had remarked that as per medical reports the victim had not been raped. On Nov 8, Odisha government ordered judicial enquiry into the incident by a sitting district judge. Parallel enquiry by State Crime Branch was also ordered. But the culprits are yet to be identified or arrested. On Nov 18, she had consumed overdose of iron tablets to commit suicide and was admitted in SCB medical college and hospital, Cuttack. She had been discharged from SCB medical college and hospital on Nov 27 and she had returned back to her home in Koraput district.
