Man arrested over alleged sexual harassment of his minor daughter in Odisha’s Konark

Konark: A middle-aged man identified as Malaya Ranjan Mohanty, who hails from Matiapada village near Konark town of Puri district, was arrested by local police today over alleged sexual harassment of his minor daughter. The victim girl previously ended her life on February 17 (Saturday night).

“I had reprimanded her as she was involved in a wrong act. Later, reacting to my warning, she closed the door of a room and hanged herself with the help of a rope inside it. Where am I at fault?” the accused father of the deceased minor girl said mediapersons while being taken to Konark police station.

“I want my husband (accused Malaya) to be given stricter punishment for his mistakes. Earlier, I had informed Mallick Sir (a former official of Konark PS) about it. My daughter had even raised allegations about her plight before Mallick Sir but no action was taken,” the victim girl’s mother alleged.

Worth mentioning, the girl was found hanging inside their house the next morning. She was rescued and was rushed to Community Health Centre (CHC) in Gop area, where the doctors declared her ‘dead’.

Allegedly, the minor girl’s father had been subjecting her to sexual exploitation for the past several days. Unable to bear the harassment and shame, the victim took the extreme step of ending her life.