A 45-year-old tribal woman hanged herself to death from a tree barely 100 metres from a police station in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district in full public view after being allegedly gang-raped.
Enraged over the incident, a mob assaulted police personnel. Later, a case was registered and 23 people were arrested for the attack on force.
The woman had arrived at Khuta bus stand here on Wednesday evening and later went missing while waiting for public transport to return home at Kendumundei village, according to an FIR lodged by her son.
She appeared in the early hours of next day in a partially disrobed condition and later killed herself, the FIR said.
Later, the police brought down the body from the tree.
The group of tribal men and women went on the rampage, ransacked the police station and assaulted police personnel demanding arrest of culprits.
Inspector-in-Charge of Khunta Police Station Uttam Mohanty was beaten up by the mob as was sub-inspector Sumati Mohanti, one assistant sub-inspector, two lady constables and one constable, the police said.
Mayurbhanj Superintendent of Police Anup Krishna rushed to the spot with the additional force and brought the situation under control in on Friday afternoon.
The police registered a case under various sections of the IPC, Section 7 of Criminal Law Amendment Act and Section 3 of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act on an FIR lodged by an assaulted woman constable.
A total 23 people, including 12 women were arrested by the police in connection with the mob violence, the police said.
They were produced before the SDJM court on Friday, which remanded them to judicial custody after rejecting their bail pleas. - PTI
