Minor Odisha girl gang raped for two days, poisoned, thrown off

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Titilagarh, May 15:

Yet another hair-raising case of rape of a minor girl has come to the fore in Odisha. A teenage girl from a village under Kantabanjhi police station limits was allegedly abducted, raped in captivity for two days and then dumped near her house after being poisoned.

The spine-chilling incident took place on May 7 night when a 15-year-old girl was abducted and whisked away to a forested area. The unsuspecting minor, who had got out of bed to attend nature’s call, was picked up by three men. She raised her voice for help; however, the distress call was lost in the sound of loudspeakers as naam sankirtan (devotional singing) was going on in the village.

After a while, an anaesthetic was put on her nose and she became unconscious. After she regained consciousness, she realised that she was inside a jungle with her limbs fastened. She was raped by these men for two days without being given food or water.

On Saturday night, her tormentors, after satisfying their lust, decided to eliminate her. While on their way back to the village, these accused forced the girl to consume poison on the outskirts of the village near a temple. When she refused to take it, they beat her up and forcibly thrust the toxic substance down her throat after which she fell down unconscious.

Presuming the girl to be dead, they threw the girl in front of her house.

The girl was rescued by the villagers in a critical condition and rushed to the Kantabanjhi hospital. Later, she was shifted to Titlagarh hospital as she showed no signs of improvement.

However, she regained consciousness and health after three days of medical care. She narrated the horrific sequence of events to her mother while still in her hospital bed. Her mother confirmed rape and demanded stringent action against the culprits.

Though she could not recollect the events clearly, she told her mother that she was in discomfort and excruciating pain. She could identify the two accused –Ganga and Bhakalu of the village– but, could not identify the third one.

“A case has been registered at Kantabanjhi police station under Sec 356, 363, 365, 376, 109 of IPC and sexual exploitation of minor. The victim’s brother had filed a case (77/15) on May 10. While the investigation is on, the prime accused has been arrested. As he is a minor (17) too, he has been forwarded to Bolangir district judge court. If we get evidence of involvement of others, they would be arrested too,” Titlagarh SDPO Dillip Purohit said.

Meanwhile, the denizens and intellectuals have demanded an exemplary punishment to the accused, considering the severity of the crime.